Flower Glow
by Miss Quartermain
Summary: Flynn/Eugene didn't survive Gothel's fatal stabbing because Rapunzel's tear didn't fall on his cheek.  Now Rapunzel has to find out how best to survive without her loveable thief.  AU Flynn/Rapunzel.  Don't worry, I won't make it too sad.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

Author's Note: I'M ALIVE!

I just came back from watching Tangled in the theatre, and I decided that I had to give an AU fic a shot. Because, for me at least, there was really a moment of doubt while Flynn/Eugene lay dying in Rapunzel's arms. So I figured I'd try writing what would happen if Rapunzel though he was dead. I know I still have a bunch of other stories that need work, but the muses for those are taking a break, so cut me some slack.

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Chapter One

"You…you were my new dream."

Rapunzel's eyes burned with unshed tears as she pressed her hand against Eugene's hand that rested against her cheek. This couldn't be how it ended. Not like this…Gothel was gone. Eugene _had _to live. He just _had_ to! Turning her head so that she could press her lips to his palm, Rapunzel fought the urge to sob uncontrollably.

"And you were mine," she choked out. "Please…don't leave me, Eugene."

He managed a weak smile, which cut through Rapunzel's heart like the knife that Gothel had used on Eugene. "What makes you think…that I'm leaving you…Blondie?" he wheezed, coughing slightly.

A drop of blood appeared on his lip, and Rapunzel gasped in mild horror. No…no no no…she couldn't let this happen. Moving his hand to her hair, she willed herself to focus on the magic that had once flowed through her hair.

_Flower, gleam and glow_

_Let your power shine_

_Make the clock reverse_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_Heal what has been hurt…_

Looking into Eugene's face, Rapunzel refused to see the life fading from him and continued singing, even though a part of her heart knew it was futile.

_Change the fate's design_

_Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_What once…was mine_

Now she couldn't deny what she saw. Eugene's eyes weren't going to open again. Resting her head against his chest as sobs wracked her body, Rapunzel clutched his leather vest in her hands, as though that would bring him back.

"No…Eugene, no!" she sobbed, shaking his body slightly. "Wake up! Please wake up! You can't leave me alone…don't leave me."

She remained like this for so long that the sun had set and the moon was starting to shine through the windows. Looking up from Eugene's body, Rapunzel slowly moved over the long brown locks that had once been attached to her head until she was leaning against the window sill. Her eyes were still burning from her tears, tears that were even now threatening to spill out of her eyes, and her breath was coming in sharp gasps. The moon was shining down on her face, but without Eugene here, it wasn't as lovely. Burying her fingers in her short hair, Rapunzel gave another sharp sob before she fell to her knees.

One way or another, with or without Eugene, she had to leave. Her parents were waiting out there for her, wondering what had happened to her for all those eighteen years. It broke her heart to leave Eugene here, but at least here his body would never be found by anyone else. There would be no guards coming here searching for him. At last, he was at peace. Almost…

Moving back to where Eugene's body was, Rapunzel gently pulled the shard of glass he had used on her hair out of his hand and replaced it with a lock of her hair. Now he would always have a piece of her with him, no matter how long he was here for. Bending down over his body, she placed a tender kiss on his forehead before standing up once more.

Mother Gothel had to have come in here some way other than the main window to find out that she was gone in the first place…How had she gotten in? Looking around for a moment, she paused when she spotted the trap door in the floor. Frowning a little, she looked from Eugene to the trapdoor and back again before she finally made her way to it.

"Goodbye, Eugene…" she whispered softly, moving down the stone steps, the stone cold against her bare feet as she walked. Wrapping her arms tight around herself, she barely noticed when she reached the doorway at the bottom of the stairs. In fact, she didn't take her arms off the ground until she felt Max's nose nudging against her shoulder. Looking up dully, she instinctively threw her arms around the horse's neck and sobbed again. "He's not coming, Max," she murmured in a choked voice. "We have to go back to the city alone."

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The journey back to the city was not something that Rapunzel remembered very clearly. It was very uneventful with no Stabbington brothers chasing after her and Max, which made Rapunzel miss Eugene all the more. The pain in her heart simply grew worse with each moment without her thief there to make everything worse. No adventures were waiting for her just around the corner, and there was no loveable man waiting with a charming smile and a silly comment.

Max seemed to understand her pain, as he didn't do much other than carry Rapunzel on his back and provide a warm pillow for her the one night they were in the woods. The young Princess couldn't help but feel grateful for his silent support. Without him there to help her feel better, Rapunzel was sure that she would have simply given up on the journey before it even began.

They finally arrived in the city late in the evening after Eugene's death, and the pain almost made it impossible for Rapunzel to face her parents. If it weren't for Max urging her on with soft nudges to her back, then she would never have made her way up the stairs of the palace and announce herself to the guards that tried to stop her.

"My name is Rapunzel," she said in a flat voice. "I've come to see my parents, the king and queen."

For a moment, the guards looked doubtful, but then an older man looked closely at her, especially at her large green eyes. Then he gave a start and ordered one of the younger guards to fetch the king and queen.

"Can't you see who she is?" he demanded when the younger man hesitated. "She has the queen's eyes! Go!"

Rapunzel didn't say anything as she was led to a balcony to wait for her parents, her eyes simply staring out at the water surrounding the city. Just there…not too far from where a group of fishing boats here anchored…there, she and Eugene had let their lanterns float into the sky. They hadn't known then that those lanterns were for Rapunzel herself. Tears burned at her eyes, and she hastily turned away from the railing of the balcony. She couldn't start crying again. Not now, after she had spent the last two days doing nothing but crying to herself, night and day.

Looking up as she heard the sound of the double doors opening, Rapunzel's heart leapt into her throat in shock. Her parents stood in front of her, looking as stunned as Rapunzel felt. The woman who was obviously her mother did indeed have the same green eyes as Rapunzel, and they were filling with tears as she rushed towards Rapunzel, arms open to her daughter.

Her tears finally started to fall as Rapunzel ran into her mother's arms, burying her face in her mother's shoulder and clinging to her in a way that she had never clung to Gothel. Another pair of arms wrapped around them both as Rapunzel's father joined the hug. Rapunzel wasn't sure whose sobs she was hearing as she and her parents fell to their knees together, still clinging to one another, but she was fairly certain that both her parents were crying just as much as she was. While it wasn't quite the reunion that had played through her mind when she first remembered that she was the lost Princess, it was still far better than anything else in her life. Except Eugene. Just thinking his name made Rapunzel sob harder still.

"Oh…my poor baby," the queen whispered, slowly stroking Rapunzel's sheared hair. "My poor, poor baby. It's all right…you're home now."

No, she wasn't. Not entirely. Nowhere was home without Eugene there. Still, at least she was with her real parents. Clinging tightly to her mother, Rapunzel whimpered softly and began telling her entire story. All about Gothel and her magical hair. When she finally came to the part of her story that involved the thief that the world knew as Flynn Rider but she knew as Eugene Fitzherbert, she was almost too overcome to continue. But with the soft whispers of encouragement from her mother, she managed to finish the story, even though it felt as though her heart was breaking all over again when she told how Gothel had killed him.

"Poor girl," both the king and queen whispered when she had finished. "You're safe now. Safe…"

Rapunzel wanted to believe them with all her heart, and her eyes began to flutter closed as she sobbed against her mother's shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Two

Dying was a rather interesting feeling, Flynn thought to himself. It was…rather warm. He had always thought that death would be cold and painful. Maybe it helped that he was dying in the arms of Rapunzel. Feeling her arms cradling him and her hand pressed against his…it seemed to make death seem just a little easier. He'd made sure that Gothel would never be able to use Rapunzel again. That had to count for something.

While Flynn had never really believed in any sort of heaven, but if heaven meant that he could be with Rapunzel after death, then he was willing to believe in it. God couldn't be so cruel that he wouldn't let Flynn and Rapunzel be together, after all they'd done together.

What felt strange to Flynn right now was that…he didn't feel like he was getting closer to dying. If anything, it felt more like he was getting better. But that was a stupid thought. He was _dying_, after all. The knife into his gut had been very real, and so had the pain. Maybe he was getting a little delirious in his last moments. Though he could swear that instead of the cold glass he had used to cut Rapunzel's hair, he felt something soft and warm in his hand. Weird.

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The palace was so different from Mother Gothel's tower. There were always new corridors to explore and the gardens never got old. If anything, Rapunzel was sure that the gardeners planted new flowers every day, just for her. But even with so much to explore and see, Rapunzel couldn't bring herself to feel happy here.

Her parents noticed this. How could they not? They were so overjoyed to have their daughter returned to them, but something was keeping the new-found Princess from sharing their joy. Finally, after a week of this, the queen decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Rapunzel?" she called as she knocked on her daughter's bedroom door as she opened it.

The young Princess didn't answer at first, but the queen soon spotted her on the balcony. Closing the door silently behind her, the queen walked over to stand in the doorway leading to the balcony, simply watching her daughter. Rapunzel was staring fixedly at the water surrounding the city, her eyes on one specific point just within the harbor. Tears were silently trailing down her cheeks, and within moments the queen was at her daughter's side, hugging her tight and whispering soothingly.

"I know it hurts to lose someone," the queen murmured against Rapunzel's short dark hair. "It was just as painful for your father and I when you were taken from us."

Rapunzel didn't answer, but simply clung to her mother, her tears still silent. There were no uncontrollable sobs this time, no searing pain in her chest. The pain was still there, though. It was always there, and it always would be for as long as she was without her Eugene.

"I thought I could save him," she whispered. "I thought I could…"

The queen's arms tightened around Rapunzel and the two women simply stood together in silence. "I know, my dear," the queen finally sighed. "And I am so sorry…I wish I could fix this for you."

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Flynn opened his eyes blearily, which surprised him. Wasn't he supposed to be dying right now? Unless this was the other side, then it made perfect sense. But God must have a cruel sense of humor if he thought having Flynn wake up inside of Rapunzel's tower would be a nice way to start off eternity in heaven.

"God hates me," Flynn muttered, his voice feeling and sounding very thick in his throat. Almost as if he hadn't been speaking for days on end. Weird.

"If God hates you so much, lad," a strange feminine voice, old and slightly cracked, said thoughtfully, "then why would he send me to you when you needed help most?"

Without thinking, Flynn sat up sharply, staring in wonder at the strange old woman who was sitting on a blue chair, knitting as though they were merely discussing the weather. For a moment, all Flynn could do was blink and stare at the woman. It wasn't Gothel. That much he guessed right away. Gothel would have rushed him and started stabbing him if she was the one sitting on that chair. Whoever this old woman was, Flynn had never seen her before.

"Huh?" he asked stupidly.

She was a rather sweet-looking old lady, with her snowy-white hair gathered up on top of her head in a loose bun that housed several knitting needles. Her eyes were a soft blue, like newly opened blue-bell petals, and her mouth, while wrinkled and cracked, was twisted up in a kind smile.

"Close your mouth before the flies zoom in, lad," she said kindly, reaching over with one of her knitting needles to close his mouth. "It's not attractive to stare," she added. "Haven't you ever seen an old granny knitting before?"

Flynn couldn't speak. All he could do was blink and wonder what was going on. Last he knew, he was dying, and now here he was with a funny old woman scolding him and…Looking down at his hand, Flynn gave a start when he saw that he had a bit of Rapunzel's long hair clutched between his fingers. Lifting his hand to get a closer look at the hair, he felt his chest tighten painfully at the sight of it. She wasn't here. He established that when he cast a quick glance around the room.

"Wh-where is she?" he asked, his voice still croaking more than he would like.

"Your pretty little miss?" the old woman asked, not looking up from her knitting for more than a second. "She's home, and safe. With her parents."

Parents? What? Flynn stared at the woman as though she had grown another set of arms. Wasn't Gothel her mother?

"Oh, silly me," the woman continued with a laugh. "Of course you don't know. You've been dead for almost a week. Your pretty little Rapunzel is the lost Princess."

Somehow…it made sense to Flynn. Now that he thought about it, she did bear an uncanny resemblance to the pictures of the lost baby Princess. And her eyes…Flynn paused for a moment, just allowing himself to remember those beautiful green eyes of hers before continuing his train of thought. Flynn had seen the queen before, both in paintings and during royal processions. The queen, now that he thought about it, had the same large green eyes as Rapunzel. Holding the long brown hair tighter in his hand, Flynn looked down at it with a sigh.

"So…she doesn't need me anymore."

Stars crossed his vision as the old woman brought one of the knitting needles previously nested in her hair down hard on the top of his head. Reaching up to rub the spot where she had hit, Flynn gave a cry of protest and glared.

"Ow! What was that for?" he demanded as the woman went back to her knitting.

"She doesn't need you? Ha!" The woman gave Flynn a dark look, her needles still going fast. "That girl is breaking her heart over you as we speak!"

It was probably wrong for him to feel so good after hearing that, but Flynn couldn't help the way his heart gave a leap. She did need him! She cared about him! He'd already told her that she was his new dream…would she be willing to take him back and maybe, just maybe, starting a life together?

This time he was half expecting the needle to hit his head, but that didn't make it hurt any less. "CUT IT OUT!" he yelled, covering his head with both his hands this time. "What did I do this time?"

"Do you honestly think that you can just waltz into that city, a known and wanted criminal, go down on one knee, and ask the Princess of the land to take you back?" the woman challenged. "Think boy! Lord, I was led to believe you had some brains in that head of yours. It seems, though," she added, poking his forehead with a gnarled finger, "that whatever brains you have were scrambled up a long time ago."

Flynn started to argue with her, but he swallowed hard and looked away before he did. She was right, of course. He was still scheduled to hang, so he couldn't just march back into the city. Just because he'd become buddies with the Captain of the Guard's horse, that didn't give him a free pass into the city. Sighing heavily, Flynn ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"Then what do I do?"

The woman's needles stopped clicking, but Flynn didn't look up. He was too busy looking at the long brown hair that he still held in his hand. It was a part of her, and something inside of him had the insane desire to take some of it with him. Flynn didn't look up until he felt an old hand resting on his shoulder.

"You leave that to Granny, lad," the woman said with a kind smile. "After all, I want my granddaughter to be happy."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Three

Rapunzel woke up screaming, her chest tight with pain and sobs wracking her body as she sat up, her eyes wide open. "Eugene!" she cried before turning and burying her face in her pillow to muffle her sobs. Beside her, Pascal gently walked over her pillows to curl up beside her face. The sound of a door opening didn't pull her out of her thoughts right away. In fact, it wasn't until her father was sitting on the bed beside her, gently stroking her hair that Rapunzel looked up.

"You were having the dream again, weren't you?" the king asked gently.

Nodding through her tears, Rapunzel reached up and hugged her father tight, burying her face against his shoulder. Being held by the king was different from being held by Eugene, she thought to herself. Eugene's arms were strong and comforting, but also possessive and soothing all at once. While her father was a very strong man, and his hugs were comforting, there was a part of her soul that not even a father's love could soothe. The only thing that could would be to have Eugene's arms holding her. Then everything would be right, and the nightmares would stop.

Every night since she had returned to the palace, Rapunzel had been plagued by nightmares of that horrible day when her whole world changed. Seeing Gothel stab Eugene over and over…it tore at Rapunzel's heart each time she dreamed, and made her wish that it had been her that was stabbed instead of her precious Eugene. But that hadn't been what had happened. Instead, now she was alone, even though she was with her true parents again.

Clinging to her father at this thought, Rapunzel sobbed more and simply let all her sadness wash out of her while the king gently rubbed her back and murmured softly. For some reason, Rapunzel had found herself growing closer to her father than her mother. Perhaps it was because of Gothel. Having Gothel lie to her for so long and pretend to be her loving mother…it made Rapunzel a little less than trusting towards her new mother. Rapunzel still loved the queen, but a part of her just couldn't turn to the older woman like she could turn to the king.

"It's all right, Rapunzel," he murmured softly. "I'm right here, Princess."

She didn't quite believe that it was all right, but with her father here hugging her, Rapunzel could almost believe that in time, everything would be. Holding him tight, she nodded sadly and sniffled a little.

"C-could I get s-some tea?" she asked weakly after her crying had died down a little.

Smiling sadly at his daughter, the king gently wiped away a stray tear and kissed her forehead. "Of course, my dear," he said. "I'll have the servants bring some for both of us."

Nodding a little, Rapunzel sighed heavily and slipped out of her bed as her father went to make the order. Pulling on the silk robe that had been given to her after she returned to the palace, Rapunzel settled in the lovely armchair that was set before her fireplace, her eyes staring at the dying flames without seeing them. She hadn't really seen much of her room, despite being here for more than a week at least. Sighing heavily, she looked up at her father as he rested a hand on her shoulder, a cup of hot tea in his other hand.

Accepting the tea with a weak smile, Rapunzel turned her gaze back to the fireplace as her father took his own seat beside her. They were both silent for a long time, simply allowing their being together to calm and soothe one another. Finally, Rapunzel heard her father turn to look at her and raised her eyes to meet his gaze. His blue eyes were kind and gentle as the king reached over and softly cupped his hand over her cheek.

"I know how much pain you are going through, dear," he said softly. "But you cannot let it dominate your life. As our Princess, there are things that you have to do. Just remember that. And remember," he added, leaning forward to gently kiss her forehead, "that I am always here to help you when you think things are too difficult."

Fresh tears filled Rapunzel's eyes as she nodded her understanding and put her hand over her father's. "I'll remember…" she whispered before adding after a moment's pause, "Daddy."

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Flynn had followed "Granny" out of the tower and into a small cottage not too far from the Snuggly Duckling tavern. He hadn't dared try and see all his friends there after Granny threatened to stab his leg with her knitting needles if he even thought of going to the tavern before she said that he safely could. Since then, he had been stuck in this little cottage for nearly a week, wondering what it was that Granny had in store for him. She wasn't the most forthright of people, actually.

Oh, the cottage was comfortable enough in and of itself. There were enough rooms for Flynn to have one of his own, up in the attic, immediately above the kitchen. Having the chimney there, right next to his bed, kept the room at a nice toasty temperature, and the bed itself was very comfortable. Goose down, if he wasn't very much mistaken. The nice smells that came up from the kitchen every morning were a pleasant way to wake up, but there was still something missing.

Granny said she was the grandmother of Rapunzel, but beyond that, she hadn't said anything about Rapunzel since they left the tower together. Flynn was getting very impatient with the old woman, but he wasn't about to risk having her use those needles on him anytime soon. Still…his heart was aching for Rapunzel, and Granny wasn't making that fact any easier for Flynn.

Finally, almost a week and a half after leaving the tower with Granny, Flynn was getting very impatient. Coming down the stairs one morning, he cornered the old woman in the kitchen, hands resting on the table and a determined look on his face. "Granny," he said firmly. "You and I need to talk. You're hiding things from me, and you won't let me talk to anyone. Rapunzel is breaking her heart over me, according to you, but you won't let me go and see her and let her know that I'm all right!"

Granny only barely glanced up from her baking before she sighed heavily. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you started asking questions. Well, first things first, lad," she said, motioning for him to sit down at the table. "You can't see Rapunzel yet for one very important reason. You aren't healthy enough."

"What?" Flynn demanded, glaring at her, his hands balling into fists. "I haven't felt this good in years! How can I not be healthy enough to see her? She needs to see me!"

"I know that she needs to see you, lad," Granny sighed heavily. "But while you might feel good and strong, that is only a temporary feeling. Unless you remain here for some time, you won't be able to make it to the palace and see her before you collapse and die. Again."

Flynn opened his mouth to argue, but Granny held up a hand to prevent him from doing so. Her eyes were determined and a little angry as she met his gaze.

"Rapunzel needs you, yes, but you are still too weak to go anywhere. That's why I can't let you go to that tavern you enjoy. You'd be dead within a few hours of going there, and no one else can know you are alive yet. Not now, when knowing would only give Rapunzel the false hope that she can simply come here and take you home with her."

A sharp pain clenched Flynn's stomach at the thought of Rapunzel's disappointment when she discovered he couldn't go back to her. Not only that, but it felt like he had ice water in his veins at the thought of dying before he could even reach Rapunzel's side. Looking down at his hands on the table, Flynn clenched them into fists and sighed in exasperation.

"Why…why am I so weak?" he asked, looking up at Granny. "What did you do to me?"

The old woman looked hurt at the tone of his voice. "I did what I could to ensure my granddaughter's happiness," she said firmly.

"You say that you're her grandmother, but I don't know whether or not to believe you," Flynn argued. "You haven't told me anything!"

Granny looked down at the table and sighed again, shaking her head and brushing some of her white hair behind her ear. "I am her grandmother," she said firmly. "Your king is my son. My only little boy…" Her voice turned soft and loving as she spoke of her son, and Flynn felt guilt ripping through him for a moment as she continued speaking. "I left the kingdom when my son was old enough to become king, and settled myself here. A tiny cottage that no one else would trouble to find because a witch lived here." Looking up at Flynn, Granny had tears in her eyes. "And then I learned about you. I learned about what you did for my granddaughter and watched her pain at losing you. I knew that I had to bring you back, and I did."

Flynn started to say something, but he couldn't think of the words to say to make this strange old woman feel better. Finally, he settled for another question. "How long will it take before I can see Rapunzel again?" he asked in a low voice. "I have to see her…soon."

"I know, lad," Granny said softly. "I know. And you will, but I have no way of knowing how long that will take. I've never exactly brought someone back from the dead before. It could take only days, or it could take months."

"Months?" Flynn repeated. "I can't do that to her! She'll go crazy before that!"

Granny could only shake her head sadly and then turn away from him to check the bread she had put into the oven. "If it takes that long, then it takes that long," she finally said. "I can't control that part of the magic." Turning to look at him, she shook her head once more. "I am so sorry."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Four

Rapunzel had tried to follow her father's advice and do more things to keep her busy, but it wasn't very easy to do. Oh, it wasn't that there was a lack of anything to do, as that would be a lie. All she had to do was ask her mother what she could do to keep busy and then the queen would whisk her off for some quilting or embroidery. But, no matter how much needlework she did, her mind wasn't distracted from the pain that kept gripping at her heart. As much as she loved spending time with the queen and learning to do the things that a Princess should do, there was always a part of her that was missing. Not even having a father and a mother again could make that ache go away.

No one else mentioned it, but she was sure that the people surrounding her could tell that something was wrong with her. Whenever she and her parents went out for royal processions or simply to give speeches, Rapunzel couldn't make herself smile and wave the way her parents did. She was certainly happy to be here now, but…she wasn't as happy as she should be. That knowledge hurt her almost as much as the pain of loss that kept her awake at night.

Perhaps she should go to the Snuggly Duckling for a little while…visit her friends there. At least then she would be with people who knew more about her adventures with Eugene than her parents did, and could sympathize with her about losing Eugene. She didn't want to ask her parents for permission to go to the tavern, though, because she was sure they wouldn't approve. Being a Princess meant not being friends with thugs, it seemed. Still…Rapunzel needed to speak with them, and if she couldn't get permission from her parents, she would sneak off on her own. But first, she would try to get her father's permission to go.

Nearly two weeks after their last late-night talk, Rapunzel sneaked through the hallways looking for her father. She had learned a few days into her stay at the palace that her father, unlike her mother, was a night person and preferred to spend at least a few hours reading to himself before going to bed. The queen, on the other hand, would much rather wake up early so that she could spend a little time in her personal garden. This was perfect for Rapunzel's purposes right now. She herself was also a night person, so there had been at least one or two nights where she would go off and join her father in the library for at least an hour. It was a nice experience, to be able to read silently beside her father and know that he wanted her there.

So, tonight, she slipped into the library and was pleased to find her father already there, sitting in front of the fire and looking through one of his favorite books. As he heard the sound of the door opening, he looked up with a smile and held a hand out to her.

"I was just wondering if you were planning to join me tonight," he said as Rapunzel rushed forward to give him a hug and kiss him on the cheek. "And how are you tonight, Princess?" he asked, concern filling his voice. "Not having the nightmare again?"

Rapunzel assured him that she wasn't and settled on the floor at his feet, as she had done every other time that she came to read with him. Only this time, she didn't bother to get a book, settling instead for resting her arms on his knee and smiling up at her father. She loved how her father, despite how little they knew each other, could make her truly smile when no one else could. Seeing her smile, the king gently rested a hand on top of her head, gently stroking her short brown hair.

"What is it that you need, my dear?" he asked in a soft voice, as though afraid that she would scurry off at the first sign of a harsh word.

For a moment, Rapunzel couldn't bring herself to ask. The memory of Gothel shouting that she would never leave the tower after asking to see the lanterns was still too fresh. She didn't want her father to shout at her or force her to stay here in the castle. Biting her bottom lip nervously, she rested her cheek against her hand and sighed.

"Daddy…" she said slowly, the word sounding strange to her ears. "I…I want to ask you for a favor…"

The king didn't yell, like Rapunzel had half-expected. His hand didn't even pause in its movement over her hair. "Anything you want, Rapunzel, you can have if you simply ask."

Biting her lower lip again, Rapunzel looked up at her father and felt herself smiling when she saw how sincere he looked. Simply enjoying the soothing motion of his hand for a moment, she finally worked up the courage to ask. "I want to go to the Snuggly Duckling Tavern and talk to my friends there," she said in a rush.

It was only then that the king's hand paused, and for a moment, Rapunzel feared that she was going to be yelled at again. But after a moment of silence, the king resumed stroking her hair with a heavy sigh.

"Is there any particular reason that you want to speak to…your friends?"

The way that the king said this made Rapunzel's heart ache for him, and she didn't even know why. Looking up at him with a sad smile, Rapunzel slowly stood and wrapped her arms around his neck. Hugs had always made her moth-Gothel feel better after they had a fight. Maybe the same thing would happen with the king. It seemed to work, as he slowly placed a hand on her elbow and sighed.

"I just wish to know so that I can understand what you need, Rapunzel," he said quietly.

Rapunzel's heart ached again and she tightened her hold on the king. "I need someone to talk to," she said quietly. "Someone who…knew Eugene." The tears started to build up in her eyes and the king seemed aware of this as he gave her elbow a squeeze. "Someone who understands what I went through with him."

"Then how could I say no?" the king asked softly, patting her arm and looking up at her. "I told you, Rapunzel, anything you want you can get by asking."

Relief flooded Rapunzel as she pressed a grateful kiss to her father's temple and gave him another tight hug. "Thank you, Daddy!" she cried happily. "I won't be gone long. Just a few hours so I can have a nice chat with them."

The king nodded absently as he smiled at his daughter. To see her smiling again…it was worth letting her spend her time with ruffians and thugs to see that. Gently kissing her hand, he motioned for her to sit at his feet again and picked up his book once more. With Rapunzel sitting against his knee, her arms resting on top of his leg, the king read to her until her eyes began to droop.

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The next morning, Rapunzel ran down to the stables in a new riding habit her father had given her and with her feet bare, much as she was used to, to find Max. The large stallion looked up at her over his oats with mild curiosity, though he didn't seem too pleased with having his breakfast interrupted.

"You and I are going for a ride, Max!" Rapunzel said in delight, wrapping her arms around the horse's neck.

Resigned that he wasn't going to be allowed to finish his oats, Max whickered fondly and nipped at Rapunzel's short brown hair. At least she wasn't coming in here to cry on his fur. Looking up over the Princess' head at the Captain of the Guard, Max felt satisfied when the man rolled his eyes and nodded. It was fairly well-understood by all those in the stables that Max was no longer the horse of the captain, but of the Princess. Such had been the case since Rapunzel had returned to the city riding on Maximus' back, her eyes swollen with crying and her hair newly shorn.

"Come on, Max!" Rapunzel said after a moment. "You need to get ready!"

With some help from one of the stable boys, Rapunzel soon had Max saddled and ready to go. Mounting the horse clumsily-she was used to having Max kneel for her, but that didn't seem a good idea in the stables-she turned his head towards the door and urged him on. The ride was short and happy, something that Rapunzel had almost forgotten could happen to her, and she soon found herself being crushed by dozens of large arms as enthusiastic greetings were shouted.

"Blondie's back!" several voices called as more voices called for drinks and cupcakes.

Smiling brighter than she had in days, Rapunzel let the thugs lead her to a table and sit her down. The table was soon surrounded by all the usual patrons of the tavern, with Pascal sitting on the top of the table. The poor chameleon had taken to hiding in different parts of Rapunzel's room for most of the time, because he knew that he couldn't make her feel better. But when she woke up early to go to the Snuggly Duckling, Pascal had to join her. He was well rewarded for this in the form of several affectionate greetings, even from the rats.

"So what brings you down here, away from all your Princess-ly duties?" Hookhand asked as Rapunzel was handed both a cupcake and a mug.

"I missed all my friends," Rapunzel said honestly, a sad look crossing her face.

After several cupcakes and two mugs of what she strongly suspected was old ale, Rapunzel was telling the thugs everything that had happened to her after she was taken back to the tower. By the time she told them of Eugene's death, nearly all of the thugs were crying along with her. Pascal and the rats were even hugging one another, a sight no one had ever thought possible before this. When Rapunzel finally finished-with great difficulty-Hookhand reached out with his one normal hand and patted her cheek.

"He was a good guy," he said firmly. "But you can't hold onto him forever."

"But that's all I _want_ to do!" Rapunzel sobbed. "I can't even look at anyone else. My heart feels like part of it is missing, and that scares me, but I don't want it to stop!" Shaking her head in confusion, Rapunzel stared at the thugs in bewilderment. "Is that normal?"

Awkward silence filled the room as each of the various thugs and ruffians exchanged glances, wondering how best to answer. Finally, Vladimir cleared his throat and said, very slowly, "When you lose someone, yes. But it gets better…I think."

"I don't want it to!" Rapunzel cried, her eyes widening in alarm. "I don't want to forget Eugene."

More cupcakes were ordered and after a long cry with her friends, followed by several different stories about the short time they had all known Flynn Rider, aka Eugene Fitzherbert, Rapunzel was ready to return to the palace. She felt…cleansed in a way. Being able to speak to people who had personally known and liked Eugene was very helpful to her. Mounting Max with the help of several thugs, Rapunzel thanked them all and, with a very full Pascal on her shoulder, began riding back to the palace.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Five

Flynn would never admit it to old Granny, but she was right about how weak he was. The day after she first told him about what would happen if he tried to go after Rapunzel himself, he tried to prove her wrong. That was stupid of him. Granny mentioned in passing that she needed wood, so being the gallant idiot that he was, Flynn simply decided that he would go chop the wood for her. It didn't end well.

He had barely begun to make a decent-sized pile of wood when the dizziness set in. At first, he tried to ignore it. After all, it was a rather warm day, and chopping wood wasn't exactly an easy task to begin with. His pride proved to be very detrimental in this case, however. After only a few more swings of the axe, he had fallen forward in a dead faint-something that he later denied vehemently-and woke up hours later to see Granny's face hovering over him.

"What did I say? Did I say you could chop would yet? You'll be the death of me, lad!"

So she didn't let him out of bed for a week. Thankfully, by the time he was out of bed again, Flynn felt much better and was able to chop wood without too much difficulty. He had to stop now and then for a break so he didn't pass out again, but other than that things were going well. For a whole week, he spent his mornings chopping wood and his afternoons stacking the newly-chopped wood just outside of the kitchen door. It was on the third week of his stay with Granny that Flynn heard it.

There was no mistaking that voice. Flynn had heard it so often, not only in reality, but also in his dreams. When he first heard the voice, he had thought that he was going crazy or simply mistaking the wind for something else. But then, only a few minutes later, he heard the voice again. This time, he dropped the axe and rushed towards the trees. Parting the leaves, he could hardly believe his eyes.

It was Rapunzel, exactly as she had been when he last saw her, with her hair now cut short and brown. A sharp pain filled his chest and Flynn suddenly forgot how to breathe for a moment or two as he watched Rapunzel. She was on Max's back, chatting away with the horse and Pascal, who was riding on her shoulder. Flynn didn't quite know what she was saying-he was too far away to make it out clearly, and frankly he didn't care that much-but just hearing her voice again was almost too much for him. The sudden desire to rush to her and tell her that he was alive gripped him and Flynn was starting to move forward when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Not yet, lad," Granny said sadly. "She's not ready for you yet."

What did she mean by that? Of course Rapunzel was ready for him! She needed him, after all. Granny had said so herself. Still, Flynn hesitated and didn't make another move to go to Rapunzel. Satisfied that Flynn wouldn't do anything foolish, Granny walked back to the cottage.

Once she was gone, Flynn did something that might be classified as either foolish or incredibly clever. He slipped into the trees, closer to where Rapunzel was, but not close enough for her to see him. Keeping a safe distance away from the young Princess and her animal friends, Flynn followed her until she came to the Snuggly Duckling tavern. Sitting down on a stump to wait, Flynn watched as Rapunzel dismounted and was tugged inside the tavern by a dozen pairs of strong arms to cries of "It's Blondie!" Hearing his nickname for her made Flynn's heart swell and clench painfully all at once. How that was even physically possible was beyond him.

Rapunzel was inside the tavern for hours, and came out smiling, but with her eyes red from crying. Was that for him, Flynn wondered as he rose to his feet. He remained behind her until he was near Granny's cottage. There, he reluctantly made his way back to the small cottage, where the pile of chopped wood was waiting for him to pile up. Sighing heavily, he began to do so, his mind miles away in a palace bedroom with Rapunzel.

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That night, Flynn sat staring moodily at the kitchen table, not even really seeing the food that Granny put in front of him to eat. After nearly ten minutes of just picking at his dinner, Flynn finally looked up at Granny.

"When will I be strong enough to travel?" he asked firmly. "I can't stay here forever. I can barely stay here now! I'm going insane wondering what is happening in the castle, and all I'm doing is sitting here."

The ever-present knitting needles paused for a brief moment before resuming their _click_-_click_-_clicking_. It was almost maddening how calm Granny could be, even when Flynn lost his temper with her. Glowering at the tabletop, Flynn crossed his arms like a petulant child and waited for her answer.

"Not for a time yet," the old woman finally said.

"You keep saying that," Flynn grumbled darkly. "I'm starting to wonder if you really do want me to see Rapunzel again."

This time, he was prepared for the knitting needle and grabbed it before it collided with his skull. Glowering at the old woman challengingly as he lowered the knitting needle to the table, Flynn silently dared her to try it again. She did. And succeeded. Cursing fluently and rubbing the top of his head with a dark look, Flynn sat back and was very close to pouting.

"That _really_ needs to stop."

Granny didn't answer, as she had returned to her knitting, acting like she hadn't heard a word he said. Sometimes that old woman could be a real pain, Flynn decided with a snort.

"I was serious with my question," he persisted. "When can I travel and see her?"

The needles continued flashing in the firelight, though they were moving just a little slower than before. Finally, without taking her eyes from her knitting, Granny answered. "If I had to say a specific time…" she hesitated before continuing. "I would say another week or so. All that wood chopping's giving you back some of your old strength. But I can't be sure. For all I know, half-way to the city you'll pass out and then die."

The calm way that she said this sent chills through Flynn's spine, but at this point he was more concerned with getting back to Rapunzel. Crossing his arms with a confidence that he didn't quite feel, Flynn met Granny's gaze evenly.

"I don't care," he said fiercely. "I have to talk to her, and soon."

Granny's needles moved faster than before, her eyes narrowed in what looked like concentration. "Then if this fails, it isn't on my head," she spat with a snarl. She dropped a stitch, which produced the most colorful phrase that Flynn had ever heard before. "Now look what you made me do!"

Flynn decided that he shouldn't bring this up again for a little while, and slipped out of the kitchen to climb the stairs to his bedroom. Lying down on the soft mattress and staring up at the ceiling, Flynn sighed slightly and let his mind wander. He had seen her again…his Blondie. Not blonde anymore, of course, but still just as pretty as he remembered her being. Her big green eyes…and that smile. Though, now he thought about it, her smile hadn't been as wide and cheerful as he remembered it being. That was probably his fault, Flynn thought with a frown. She thought he was dead…and she was broken-hearted about it.

Sitting up sharply at that thought, Flynn began gathering what few belongings he had in this room and shoving them into a satchel. He wasn't going to wait anymore. Rapunzel had to know that he was still alive and that he still loved her.

Love…just thinking that word made Flynn pause as he was shoving a shirt into the satchel. Was he really in love with Rapunzel? He wouldn't know, as all his experiences with women before this were of the one night's roll in the hay variety. But something about Rapunzel was…different. She made life seem worthwhile.

Flynn Rider didn't fall in love, though. It just wasn't part of his persona. But…he wasn't that man anymore. He was Eugene Fitzherbert, the man who had fallen for a Princess. Finishing his packing, Flynn knelt down beside his door and listened for Granny's footsteps as she went to her own room in the back of the cottage.

When she had finally walked off, Flynn opened his door slowly and quietly and began tip-toeing down the stairs. He paused only once, when a floor board gave an unholy squeak, making his heart leap into his throat in fear. Freezing in place for nearly two minutes, Flynn only relaxed when he was sure that Granny hadn't heard him. Finally, he was outside of the cottage, his heart still hammering against his ribs as he walked. Turning towards the city, Flynn pulled his satchel over his shoulder and began making his way back to Rapunzel.

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**Author's Note:** Hey, guys! I'm so glad I've gotten so many favorites and alerts for this story! Keep the reviews coming and don't take this story off your alerts just yet! I still have at least five chapters planned for this story! Thanks for your support!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Six

Rapunzel returned to the palace far happier than she had felt in a long time, much to her father's delight. While her eyes were slightly red and puffy from her long cry, she managed to smile brightly at her father when she saw him waiting for her in the stables. Sliding off of Max's back with a beaming smile, she launched herself into his arms and held him tight.

"How was your day, dear?" the king asked with a kind smile, gently tilting her head back and brushing her hair behind her ear.

"Good!" Rapunzel said with a nod. "I think you should come with me next time I go," she added. "They would all like you."

The king frowned a little at this, but he didn't argue. Kissing Rapunzel's forehead, he led her back into the castle and to the library, where her tutors were waiting for her. Until recently, Rapunzel hadn't shown much interest in studying with the various tutors that were paraded before her. Now, however, she had been more than willing to spend her days learning more about her kingdom and developing new talents. She already knew how to dance when she was feeling happy, but not how to dance for a proper ball. The same could be said about her drawings and paintings. So she followed her father and curtsied prettily to the older man who was waiting for them.

"Ah, Princess Rapunzel," he greeted with a bow. "I am Lord Thomas, your history tutor."

Rapunzel greeted him with a smile and sat down in a chair across from the older man. Behind her the king gently placed his hands on her shoulders as he met Lord Thomas' eyes.

"I will leave the two of you alone," he said with a kind smile at his daughter. "Enjoy your lessons."

Rapunzel discovered that she did indeed enjoy her lesson with Lord Thomas, but her very favorite lessons had to be those with her dance master and the drawing master. These were things that she already loved to do, but had never learned how to do properly, despite having eighteen years alone to practice them. By the end of her lessons for the day, she was pleasantly tired, and had almost forgotten the ache in her chest. Almost…but not quite. It wasn't until she was back in her bedroom with Pascal that she began to feel the dull aching again.

Pascal, who had grown very fond of Rapunzel's bedroom, especially the soft pillows that covered her large bed and the huge fireplace, which was a perfect place for a cold-blooded chameleon to snuggle up for a nap, was now curled up on a cushion in front of the fireplace. Sitting down beside him, Rapunzel gently placed her hand on top of his head and sighed, staring into the flames.

"How was your afternoon, Pascal?" she asked. Her only answer was a tired clicking sound in the back of the chameleon's throat, but that was enough for her. "Yes…I didn't think about Eugene while I was in my lessons…" Rapunzel paused and looked down at Pascal, who opened one eye to stare up at her. "Is that a good thing?"

Pascal shrugged before closing his eye again and settling down to finish his nap. Sighing a little at this, Rapunzel smiled fondly at the chameleon before pulling her knees closer to her chest and rested her chin on top of them. Looking into the flames, she let her mind wander to the few days that she had spent with Eugene.

She had never thought that she would be free from the tower, so having two days to herself was a dream come true. Well…not entirely to herself. Just thinking of that day spent with Eugene in the town square, dancing and celebrating her birthday put a sad smile on her face. At the same moment, it made her heart ache in horrible pain. Wrapping her arms tighter around her chest as though that would close the giant hole that seemed to have replaced her heart, Rapunzel rested her cheek against her knees and felt a few new tears roll down her cheeks. While talking to the thugs at the Snuggly Duckling had helped, the pain was still there, and a part of her thought that it would never go away.

"I miss him, Pascal," she whispered, even though the chameleon was fast asleep by now. "I miss him so much."

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Flynn was exhausted, and he hadn't really walked that far yet. Probably no more than a few miles. It was exasperating, to say the least, and it only made Flynn feel even more animosity towards Granny. Why did she have to be right about this? And why oh why did he have to go and die in the first place? Stupid Gothel. Stupid knife. Stupid old witch who brought him back.

Sitting down on top of a tree stump to catch his breath, Flynn sighed heavily and rested his elbows on his knees. Cradling his head in his hands, he felt how sweaty his forehead was and cursed under his breath. He still had a long ways to go before he reached the city, and already he was taking a break because of how weak he was. Stupid…stupid…dying was so overrated. It really was. What was even more overrated was being brought back from the dead by a witch.

Sitting up with a sigh, Flynn looked around him for a place to sleep. Better to get a full night's rest before trying to walk all the rest of the way to the city. At least he was far enough away from the cottage that Granny wouldn't be able to follow him very quickly. He'd be a lot farther away before she found out he was gone, too, which was always a good thing.

Finally deciding on a hollow beside a large tree, Flynn pulled out an extra cloak to use as a blanket and settled down for the night. It wasn't an easy night for him, though. His dreams kept showing him Rapunzel, and the ground was too hard after all those nights sleeping on a nice mattress. The next morning, he woke up feeling stiff everywhere and with dark rings under his eyes that he saw when he went to wash up in a nearby stream.

"You look like hell, Rider," he muttered under his breath as he splashed his face with water.

Standing up slowly, pausing to ease each kink out of his back and legs before he even thought of walking, Flynn grunted and groaned in pain. He had forgotten how uncomfortable it was to sleep on the ground without anything underneath you but tree roots and hard earth. His back gave a particularly loud _pop_ as he leaned back farther and he groaned even more at that.

"Ow," he commented to himself. "Okay, Rider. Let's get going."

It was difficult to find the will to start walking, but Flynn kept tell himself that if he kept moving, he'd see Rapunzel again. That didn't work too well at first, but once he got started, it was much easier. Just imagining the smile on her face when she saw him was enough to keep him going, even when he felt like he wanted to just curl up and die. He wasn't about to die on Rapunzel. Not again.

"Just a little longer, Rider," Flynn kept saying. "Then you can sit down."

In the end, he hadn't gone half as far as he wanted to by the end of the day, forcing him to make camp again, even though that was the last thing he wanted to do. Curling up under his cloak again, Flynn looked up at the stars with a sigh. Maybe tomorrow…

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**Author's Note:** Okay! Two chapters in one day! That should keep you guys tided over until Christmas is over! Happy holidays everybody! I'll see you on the 26th.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Seven

The next morning, Flynn was startled out of his sleep by a large nose being pressed to his cheek. Sitting up with a cry of surprise, Flynn stared at the culprit in silent confusion for a moment before his mind processed what-and who-it was.

"Max?" he asked with a shake of his head to help him wake up more fully. "What the hell? Why are you this far from the castle?"

It wasn't until after he had voiced these questions that Flynn realized just how stupid it was to talk to a horse. Horses couldn't talk, after all. Rolling his eyes at himself in exasperation, Flynn stood up slowly, once more working out a series of kinks in his back. No matter how stupid it was to verbally question a horse, that didn't mean that his questions were stupid themselves. He was still confused about why Max was out here. Turning to meet the horse's eyes, Flynn sighed heavily.

"What is it?" he demanded finally.

All Max did in response was snort and paw the ground before turning so that his back was facing Flynn.

"I am not riding you to the castle," Flynn said firmly. "I'm already sore all over. It's better if I just walk, thanks."

Max's eyes narrowed and the horse turned to ram his forehead into Flynn's chest, forcing the former thief onto the ground.

"If I ride in on _you_ of all horses, I'll give everyone a heart attack!" Flynn snapped with a glare. "I don't think Blondie would really appreciate that, do you?"

The horse seemed to accept this was a good point, but still motioned at his back for Flynn to mount him.

"I told you already, I'm not riding you!" Flynn snapped. "Stupid horse."

That seemed to touch a nerve, as Max snorted dangerously and shoved his face forward until his eyes were mere centimeters away from Flynn's face. Blinking a little in alarm at this new position, Flynn leaned back so that there was more space between them.

"What? You think that I enjoy riding you?" he muttered. "I won't ride you into the city, and that's that."

But Max didn't move away, instead still leaning forward. That was when an idea occurred to Flynn.

"You don't want me to ride you the whole way, do you?" he asked. The horse nodded, a look of exasperation on its face. How a horse could look exasperated, Flynn had no idea, but this one sure did. "All right…I'll admit, that idea has some…merit to it…"

Max snorted again, his breath causing Flynn's hair to fly away from his forehead.

"Okay, it has a lot of merit!" Flynn conceded, looking very crestfallen. "I'll ride you until we're a mile out. But before I see Goldie, I need a place to stay…"

The horse snorted again, as though he had an idea. That was stupid, of course. Horses didn't get ideas. Still…Max _had_ gotten the thugs from the Snuggly Duckling together to break him out of prison. Maybe he should trust the horse on this.

It sounded bad even when Flynn was just thinking it. This was going to go _really_ well. He could tell.

Rising to his feet with some effort, Flynn pulled himself into Max's saddle-once more wondering what the horse was doing all the way out here, _saddled and bridled_, without anyone else around-and nudged the horse forward.

"Be gentle with me," he muttered as the horse started off at a brisk trot.

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The journey to the city was very slow, as the horse seemed to take Flynn's request to be gentle very literally. Again, Flynn reminded himself that it was a _horse_ that couldn't understand what was said to it, but he didn't voice this. He didn't want to be thrown off of Max's back, after all. Still, the effort was appreciated by Flynn. He hadn't been lying when he mentioned how sore he was. Spending two nights on the ground wasn't something that was kind to your muscles, after all.

He was still even more sore when he dismounted Max, which made him swear rather fluently as he rubbed the small of his back. That really hurt. Glaring at the horse as though that would get rid of his pain, Flynn sighed heavily.

"How close are we?" he asked, not really expecting an answer, though he saw Max shrug out of the corner of his eye. "Great. I think I won't go in until tomorrow morning," he added, eying the horizon and the setting sun. "You'll be able to find me, right?"

Max snorted and rolled his eyes as if to say, 'Oh, please. I've found you more than once already.'

"Duly noted," Flynn conceded. "See you tomorrow."

Slapping Max's side in a friendly gesture, Flynn sank to the ground with an exhausted sigh and closed his eyes, not even bothering to pull out his cloak.

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The next morning dawned bright and clear, but that wasn't what woke Flynn up. He was vaguely aware of something large looming over him, as he was in a state of half-sleep, but it was the soft whuff of air into his face that woke him up, blinking. With a cry of shock, he jerked away from Max's nose and hit the back of his head against the trunk of the tree behind him. Swearing fluently, Flynn reached up to rub his head and gave the horse a dark look.

"Don't you know how to wake a person up _without_ scaring them to death?" he demanded irritably.

Max whinnied a laugh and stepped back, snorting at his joke. Flynn glared more at the horse as he stood up, brushing dirt and loose leaves off of his clothes. That horse was really getting on his nerves, Flynn decided.

"What is it now?" he demanded with a sigh.

The horse only motioned for Flynn to climb on his back and pawed at the ground impatiently. Rolling his eyes in resignation, Flynn clambered on top of the horse and muttered a few choice words to describe the horse.

"This better be worth giving me a heart attack," he muttered under his breath.

Flynn was only slightly thankful that Max couldn't answer him. Though he was very tempted to know why on earth Max was out here in the middle of nowhere, looking for him of all people. No one but Granny knew that he was still alive! How did Max…unless…had Granny sent the horse?

If she had, then Flynn was going to have a few words with the little old lady when he found her again. What was it with old women and meddling? Honestly? Was it like a compulsion with them? If it was, then it was one damned annoying compulsion that he was really starting to dislike.

Thankfully, it wasn't a long ride to the city limits. Flynn was already far too sore to want to ride Max for more than a short time. He had only been on the horse for a minute, and already his back was screaming in protest.

"Where are we going, anyway?" he demanded, leaning forward so that he could see at least part of Max's face.

The horse didn't respond-of course-but Flynn couldn't help feeling like Max was giving him a very…smug look. What _possible_ reason would the _horse_ have to look _smug_, anyway? This was getting very annoying. Very, _very_ annoying, and Flynn was about to start saying just this when Max pulled up very sharply, almost sending Flynn flying over his head.

"What was that for?" Flynn snapped. He got an answer once he looked up. It seemed that they were just outside the city wall. Sliding off of the horse's back, Flynn put a hand on top of Max's neck with a sigh. "Where now?" he asked.

Max snorted again and moved forward until Flynn's hand was caught on his saddle. Taking the hint, Flynn tightened his grip on the saddle horn and followed the horse as Max led him along towards the walls of the city. This wasn't going to be easy, was it, Flynn thought to himself as he tried to keep up with the horse.

To his surprise, Flynn felt much better than he had when he first started this trip. By all rights, he should be even more exhausted than when he started. Not to mention weaker. But right now…he felt stronger. Weird.

Flynn was so caught up in his thoughts about his condition that he almost didn't notice when Max came to a stop beside him. Looking up in surprise, Flynn saw that they were not inside of the walls like he had thought they would be, but they were outside of them, in front of a cottage.

Wait…what?

"What the hell?" Flynn cried as Granny appeared in front of him.

"Took you long enough to get here," she said with a glare, motioning Flynn into the cottage. "Get yourself in here."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Eight

What? How? Hell, Flynn just wanted to know _why_ Granny was _here_! _Here_ and not in the woods. It was wrong. Very, very wrong. She wasn't supposed to have followed him! He thought that he had gotten rid of her very successfully! So why in the hell was she here anyway?

But Flynn didn't have a chance to ask that question. Any of them, actually, as Granny was leading him into the kitchen of the small cottage and forced him to sit down at the table before examining him very thoroughly. Said examination included her forcing his head back so that she could look into his eyes and then opening his mouth wide and staring down it before turning around and starting to brew some tea.

"Should have seen this coming. Really should have," she muttered under her breath as she put the water on to boil. "After all…was part of the spell used to bring him back. Idiot!" she cried suddenly, shocking Flynn as she slapped her hand down on the counter very sharply. "I thought about it. Knew it was a possibility. Always was…"

Flynn was tempted to ask what was a possibility, but he didn't dare try. Granny was actually very…scary right now. So, rather than saying anything to her, Flynn simply sat back in his seat and watched her go around the kitchen, looking very upset about _something_, though Flynn couldn't even begin to guess what it was. She wasn't making much sense, after all.

"Er…" he started to say, but she didn't pay attention to him.

"Used her _tears_! Should have known that it would do something to him. Stupid!"

Coughing a little nervously, Flynn watched warily as Granny placed a cup of tea very roughly on the table in front of him. For a moment, he didn't want to touch the hot beverage, but he decided that it would be better to rather than let her keep glaring at him as though he had done something wrong. Hastily picking up the cup, he brought it to his lips and sipped at the tea. He didn't show any sign that the hot liquid was scalding his throat, beyond a sharp cough followed by a quick assurance that the tea was really very good.

This didn't seem to change anything about Granny's attitude, but she was much quieter than before. Flynn was grateful for that much. Looking down at his cup of tea, Flynn cleared his throat nervously and began to fiddle with the handle of the cup.

"Er…uh…so…what is it that you did?" he finally asked after a very long silence. "How did you even bring me back to life in the first place?"

Granny fixed him with a dark look for a moment before pulling out her knitting and working furiously at it as she spoke. "Don't think this changes your condition a bit," she snapped sharply. "You're still too weak to visit the Princess."

"But?" Flynn asked. "I feel better than before. Why is that?"

Silence with just the sounds of knitting needles filling the air. "The method I used to bring you back involved a healing potion," Granny said, carefully counting her stitches as she spoke. "Similar to what was used when the queen was ill all those years ago. Just before your Princess was born. Unfortunately, there wasn't another flower like the one used to heal the queen. I had to use something else." She paused for a moment and sighed heavily. "I gathered the tears of the Princess Rapunzel, and used those to make the potion. She was born with the magic of the healing flower in her, but with her hair gone the only way she can heal anyone is through her tears."

Flynn didn't know whether he believed this or not. Of course, he had seen the magic of Rapunzel's hair for himself, so he couldn't disbelieve that part of the story. But…how had she gotten hold of the tears? And why hadn't he been brought back sooner if Rapunzel healed with her tears now? Wouldn't she have been _crying_ when he died if she was so heartbroken about him?

Granny seemed to read all of his thoughts as she continued her knitting. "She was crying when you died," she said with a sigh. "But not in a way that made the tears meet your skin. Her healing still requires contact with skin to be effective. As for how I got the tears…" Here she looked up at Flynn with a rather devilish look in her eyes and smirked at him. "I'm a witch. Never underestimate my ability to do the impossible."

Opening his mouth to argue, Flynn paused as he mulled over this. _If_-and this was a _big_ If-Granny was a real witch, then why wouldn't she be able to get whatever she needed? Though…it had to be difficult to get tears from a damn _Princess_!

"Now, though…" Granny continued slowly, staring at her needles as though they would provide an answer to whatever was troubling her. "I am beginning to suspect that using her tears had a different effect than what I originally expected."

There wasn't anything as frightening as a witch admitting that something hadn't gone according to her plan, Flynn decided as he met Granny's gaze with wide eyes. What was she saying exactly? Clearing his throat nervously, he fiddled with the sleeves of his shirt.

"Uh…what…ahem," he cleared his throat again. "What exactly happened that's different?"

"Your weakness," the old woman said. "I didn't expect it to take this long to heal and get better. But now I have begun to suspect that it was because of the method I used to heal you. The Princess' tears had something to do with it."

"…Wha?" Flynn asked dumbly.

"Somehow, using Rapunzel's tears to heal you has bound the two of you together more than you already were," Granny explained. "You need one another to survive."

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Rapunzel looked up from where she was sitting across from her father in the library and smiled at the king. She had woken up this morning feeling better than she had in a very long time. Since Eugene's death, actually. Her heart was still aching very painfully, but the pain was much duller than before. Reaching up instinctively, Rapunzel placed a hand over her heart and rubbed at the spot. Pascal looked up at her curiously, but Rapunzel just shook her head in answer.

"Are you feeling all right, Rapunzel?" the king asked in concern, looking up from his own book.

"I'm fine," Rapunzel assured him. "What classes will I have today?"

The king smiled fondly at his daughter as he reached over to place his hand over hers. "The only lesson that you are having today, is learning what a Princess does to escape from all her duties when they get too overwhelming."

Rapunzel gave him a confused look before smiling back at him. "I see…" she said slowly and thoughtfully. "Does that happen a lot?" she asked, looking worried.

"Not that often, I promise," the king promised her with a soft chuckle. "But at first…they seem very overwhelming."

Another worried look crossed Rapunzel's face, but it was soon chased away by the king's kind smile. Letting her usual wide smile cross her face, she looked back at her book and let her eyes linger on each of the pictures. After eighteen years with only three books to read, Rapunzel was devouring the books in the library whenever she could.

The king didn't look back at his own book right away, much more content to simply watch his long-lost daughter. Her face was remarkably expressive, changing from wonder to delight and back in mere moments as her eyes moved over the pages of her book. Though, she wasn't entirely peaceful, the king noticed. Her hand often wandered to her heart to rub at the skin there, though he couldn't begin to guess why. Frowning thoughtfully at this, the king slowly turned his attention back to his own book. Still…he could not rid himself of the thought that something was troubling his daughter.

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"We _need_ each other to survive?" Flynn repeated, dumbstruck. "What does that even _mean_?"

"It means that I should have brought you here sooner," Granny said with a sigh. "I should have seen it, really. You only really perked up the day we saw her in the woods, and then you went back to your moping."

Flynn was about to say that he never moped, but Granny cut him off hastily, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"But what's done is done, and I can't fix that," she said with a touch of bitterness. "Still…there may be a way to see just how great this need is."

Standing up and walking over to the window, Granny leaned out and whistled shrilly. Flynn was a little surprised she could whistle like that, but he quickly pushed that aside when Max's head appeared in the window. So the horse _had_ been working with Granny. That no-good two-timing…

"Maximus," Granny said in a no-nonsense tone. "I need you to get Rapunzel to the stables tonight. Think you can do that, you great beast?"

The horse neighed loudly and nodded before pulling his head out of the window, leaving Flynn alone with Granny. Still mad at the horse, and still very confused about everything that was going on around him.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Nine

Flynn didn't know who he was angrier at once Max had left; the horse or the supposed witch. Both were getting on his last nerve, and one wasn't explaining anything enough.

Apparently he was bound to Rapunzel. He didn't exactly have a problem with this, he would just like to know what exactly that _meant_ for him and Rapunzel in the near future. If this connection was why he had been so weak up until now…then how had it been affecting Rapunzel? Oh, God…what if she was in a worse state than he was? Flynn clenched his fists at the thought of that and closed his eyes tightly. He didn't want to think about that right now.

"You can see her tonight."

Granny's voice cut through Flynn's thoughts and forced him to open his eyes to look up at her. Part of him was ecstatic about this news, but there was no way he could simply shrug off the idea of how badly this could have affected Rapunzel. If anything, it only made him more nervous to think about it. All he could do was nod in response to Granny's statement after she gave him an odd look.

"Where should I go to meet her?" he finally asked.

"Max will take you where you need to go later," Granny said firmly. "For now, you should be resting!"

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Rapunzel woke with a start, not quite sure what it was that had interrupted her sleep in the first place. It wasn't Pascal, as the chameleon was fast asleep himself, snoring loudly with each breath. Frowning a little in confusion, Rapunzel sat up and looked around her for whatever had woken her up. She found out in a moment when a sharp knock sounded against her door. Standing quickly and pulling a silk dressing gown over her nightgown, Rapunzel rushed to the door and opened it slowly.

Standing outside of her bedroom was one of the young grooms who worked in the stables. He couldn't be more than sixteen, and he looked perfectly miserable as he twisted his felt cap in his hands.

"Ye've gotta come quick, Princess," he said in a tone that sounded like he was about to cry. "There's somethin' wrong with Maximus. He won't let no one get close to him."

Rapunzel didn't need to be told twice. Without bothering to put on any slippers, she ran to the stables, her eyes wide with fear. She couldn't stand the thought of anything being wrong with Max. If she lost him so soon after losing Eugene, then Rapunzel wouldn't be able to live with herself.

Once she reached the stables, she began tugging at the doors, not able to wait for anyone else to open them for her. When Rapunzel was close to screaming in frustration, she finally managed to open the doors and rushed forward. Only to run right into the large stallion and fall back onto the ground. Looking up at the horse in surprise, the Princess only just managed a glare at him.

"There's nothing wrong with you, is there?" she demanded. Max shook his head and whickered softly. "Do you know how worried I was?"

The horse bent his head down to gently nuzzle against Rapunzel's cheek, as though apologizing, though she was fairly certain that Max wasn't sorry at all. Rolling her eyes a little at the horse's behavior, Rapunzel stood up slowly, idly stroking Max's mane as she did so. Somehow, Rapunzel felt a little odd standing here in the stable, at night, in just her nightgown and robe. Almost as though someone was watching her. But that was ridiculous. She was alone in the stable, except for Max. Or…was she? It didn't look as though anyone else was there, but Rapunzel had learned to not take anything at face value. Stepping closer to Max, the young Princess looked all around her to see what could be causing her feeling of anxiety.

"Why did you want me to come down here?" she asked, leaning her head against Max's neck, finding some comfort in his presence though she couldn't say why she did.

"I asked him to."

Rapunzel froze at the sound of the familiar male voice, her hand tightening around Max's mane. Her heart gave a painful throb before returning to normal as she turned slightly to face the speaker. Pain gripped her chest like an iron hand as she looked at the young man standing behind her.

"Eugene?" she whispered, her voice barely working past the lump in her throat that she strongly suspected was her heart.

"Hi, Blondie," the former thief replied with that melting smile of his.

With a soft cry that was half-sob and half-laugh, Rapunzel rushed to him and threw her arms around his neck, holding him tight.

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Flynn had been waiting in the stable for almost two hours, which was the earliest moment that Granny would let him go outside of the cottage. He couldn't stand to stay in that cramped excuse for a house while Rapunzel was so close, but still so out of reach. Max had let Flynn hide in his stall, though Flynn wasn't exactly sure how much of an honor that was. After all, it was still a _horse's stall_, and that was not the best place to wait for hours on end for anything. Flynn had been forced to hide in stables before, and it was not a pleasant experience, no matter whose stables they were, king or not.

Then Max was shooing him into an empty stall while the grooms were outside, and Flynn sat down for another long wait. His nose was clogged with the smell of horses and hay, and he was really starting to wish that he was anywhere but here. Fortunately, he didn't have long to feel sorry for himself, as Max began going crazy in the next door stall. One of the grooms-a scrawny blonde kid with a face full of more freckles than skin-came in and tried to calm the large stallion, but Max wouldn't have any of it. After several minutes of trying-and failing-to calm down the horse, the little groom ran off for someone else to help.

Then there was the sound of bare feet running over the ground, and Flynn felt his heart launch into his throat, making it difficult to breathe. It had to be Rapunzel. Who else would run around in the middle of the night in bare feet? Certainly not any of the grooms working for the king. Fighting the urge to stand up, he forced himself to wait until it was time for him to come out.

That wasn't an easy task. Almost the moment that she was in the stables, but not in his arms, Flynn's heart gave a painful jump and it felt like a steel hand was gripping his entire chest in a vice. Listening to Rapunzel chiding Max didn't help much either, as Flynn wanted to laugh out loud, but knew he couldn't. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and he stood up, grateful that he was able to stretch his legs and back out.

"Why did you want me to come down here?" Rapunzel whispered as Flynn opened the door to the stall as quietly as possible and stepped out.

"I asked him to," he said.

He watched with baited breath as Rapunzel froze and then slowly turned, her hand resting over her heart, absently rubbing that spot as though it pained her. Then her beautiful green eyes grew wide in shock as she stared at Flynn, her face going pale in shock.

"Eugene?" she whispered.

"Hi, Blondie," Flynn managed to say, smiling at her like he had never smiled at any other woman before.

And then she was throwing her arms around him and Flynn had to fight to stay upright, his arms instinctively going around her waist to steady them both. He was a little surprised by the sight of her hair, as he had only gotten a quick glimpse of it after he first cut it. Thankfully that passed quickly, and Flynn was soon burying his face in her hair, breathing in the unique smell of paint, silk, and flowers that was purely Rapunzel. His heart wasn't hurting him anymore; the first time he had been without that dull ache in weeks. The last thing that Flynn wanted to do was let go of Rapunzel, but she forced him to as she pulled back, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I thought you were dead!" she sobbed, her hands moving to his face, as though she was still afraid that he wasn't quite real.

"So did I, for a bit," Flynn replied with what he hoped was a very charming smile, but probably only looked like a pained wince. "I wanted to come find you as soon as I found out I was still alive, but…I couldn't."

Rapunzel's eyes were now wide with confusion and mild hurt, but Flynn was quick to assure her that it wasn't anything wrong with her.

"The…person who brought me back…she said I wasn't strong enough to see you. It took me weeks to be able to chop wood without passing out," he admitted sheepishly. "I wanted to come sooner, Blondie, I really did."

Too late, he realized that he couldn't really call her Blondie anymore. Her hair was gone now, thanks to him. Though, looking down at Rapunzel with her hair now chocolate brown and cut so short that it only just framed her round face, Flynn couldn't think of anything else to call her. To him, Rapunzel would always be his Blondie, the crazy girl with a frying pan who had done so much for him.

Rapunzel didn't respond to his explanation, simply hugging him tight, obviously afraid that he would disappear again and leave her alone. Wrapping his arms around her again, Flynn placed a soft kiss on top of her head and softly stroked her hair. It was just as soft as he remembered from when she had wrapped it around his hand to heal it and when they had both picked it up to prevent the townsfolk from trampling it. Still the same Rapunzel, just a different coloring, he told himself.

"Are you staying?" she asked so quietly that Flynn almost missed what she said.

Looking down at her in surprise, Flynn gently tilted her head back so that she was meeting his gaze. "Yeah. I am," he said firmly. "Not leaving anytime soon, Blondie. I promise."

Tears once more filled Rapunzel's eyes and she began to cry as she wrapped her arms tight around his middle. Flynn wasn't quite sure what to do now that he had a sobbing Princess clutching him as though he was about to turn to dust at any moment, so he simply wrapped his arms loosely around her and let her have her cry. He didn't even mind that she was getting his shirt wet. Just so long as she was here and not angry at him.

Glancing around thoughtfully, Flynn arched an eyebrow when he saw the face of Granny in the window across from him. Giving the old woman a questioning look, the only response he got was a mysterious smile followed by Granny vanishing and the sound of her walking away. What was that supposed to mean?

"You have to come to the castle and meet my parents!" Rapunzel cried suddenly, pulling away to smile up at Flynn. Her eyes were red and puffy from her crying, but she didn't seem to mind. "Come on!"

Before he could say anything in response, Flynn felt himself being dragged along behind Rapunzel. Meeting the parents…every man's nightmare. At least this time he wasn't coming into this as a thief. That would have to help his case…right? Suddenly Flynn felt very wary of what was ahead of him.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Ten

Flynn didn't know what he had been expecting when he first walked into that stable two hours ago, but it certainly wasn't being dragged into the castle to meet the king and queen! Then there was the whole issue of explaining why he was here in the first place, and the strange connection that now existed between Flynn and the Princess. Flynn himself didn't fully understand what it was, so how exactly was he supposed to explain it to anyone? Granny hadn't told him much of anything about it, after all, beyond the main ingredient in her supposed healing potion. This just kept getting better and better.

He didn't have much time to consider what he was going to say, as Rapunzel had managed to pull him into the castle by now, and she was now tugging him along through the halls. Flynn didn't know whether he should be nervous or fearing for his life. After all…he was about to meet the king and queen, only a short time after he had managed to steal their daughter's crown. Not exactly a fun thought.

They both came to a halt so suddenly that Flynn nearly overbalanced and toppled over. Thankfully, Rapunzel was there to grab his arm and prevent that happening as she beamed up at him. "My father's in here," she explained. "It's the library. He's always spending time in here."

Great…he was meeting the king in his inner sanctum. Flynn was more than dead. He was going to be crucified, wasn't he? Grimacing a little bit, Flynn glanced down at Rapunzel, who was smiling up at him as though he made the sun rise and set. That didn't make Flynn feel much better, but he did manage to at least try to smile back at Rapunzel, though he suspected that it was much more of a grimace than anything else. As Rapunzel gave his hand a squeeze, she turned to the door and pulled it open.

At first, Flynn couldn't spot the king, but he wasn't about to assume that he had gotten lucky and wouldn't have to face the king until morning. That would be a stupid assumption, and Flynn wasn't exactly stupid. Following Rapunzel into the room, Flynn felt a cold sweat starting to form on his forehead. This was not something that he wanted to do right now. He'd prefer spending the rest of the night in the stable to explaining why he was now in the castle-him, a famous thief-and holding the Princess' hand no less.

That was when he spotted the king, and Flynn's first instinct was to bolt right then and there, rather than stay here and face the ruler of the kingdom. This wasn't going to be easy at all. But Flynn couldn't bolt, as Rapunzel had a death grip on his hand, preventing him from going anywhere but after her. Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, Flynn forced himself to at least look calm, but that wasn't something that was going to come easily to him at this point. Still, it was better to at least try.

"Hello, Daddy!" Rapunzel cried happily, skipping forward and bending down to kiss her father on the cheek.

The king looked up at his daughter in surprise and smiled fondly up at her. "Hello, my dear," he said softly, reaching up to gently pat her on the elbow. "You're up rather late, aren't you?"

Rapunzel managed to look a little sheepish, which was surprising to both the king and Flynn, but the look was quickly replaced by a bright smile. "Yes, I am, but I have someone for you to meet!"

This was it. The moment of truth, it seemed. Flynn winced in anticipation as Rapunzel rushed over to grab his hand. He hadn't noticed the ache in his heart when Rapunzel had first released his hand, but now that there was once more physical contact, he noticed that the ache had disappeared again. Smiling weakly down at Rapunzel, Flynn let her lead him forward. The smile died on his lips when the king looked up at him and began sizing him up.

"Er…" Flynn coughed nervously and smiled again, very weakly. "Hello."

There wasn't any expression on the king's face. At least, not anything that Flynn could quite make out. That really intimidated Flynn, though he tried not to show it as he continued smiling weakly at the older man.

"And who is this?" he asked carefully, arching a dark eyebrow.

"This is Eugene Fitzherbert," Rapunzel said with a fond smile up at Flynn, who managed to hide his wince as she said his given name. "He's the one who saved me from Gothel in the tower."

A look of surprise crossed the king's face as he heard this. His blue eyes went from Flynn to Rapunzel and back again for a few moments as Rapunzel simply beamed at both men. Finally, the king managed to voice what was obviously a question that had been preying on his mind since Flynn walked into the room.

"Didn't you say…that he had died?" he asked slowly.

"Oh, he did," Rapunzel said, as though this were the most natural thing in the world. "But someone brought him back! And now he's here to stay!"

Flynn hadn't been put on the spot like this for a long time, and he shifted nervously, looking very much like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar by his stern mother. The king glanced up at Flynn with an arched eyebrow, his gaze piercing and rather unnerving, if Flynn was perfectly honest. Clearing his throat self-consciously, he waited for the king to say something more.

"And why has he waited this long?" the king asked, his eyes seeming to bore a hole into Flynn's soul.

"I couldn't come sooner, Your Highness," Flynn said as his neck and cheek flushed hotly. "I wasn't…I wasn't well enough to come. Otherwise, I would have come much sooner."

The king seemed a little surprised that Flynn had the nerve to speak up like that, but he managed to cover up his surprise rather quickly. "I see, Mr. Fitzherbert…" he said slowly. "But why bother coming here at all? You could have gone anywhere."

"No. I couldn't," Flynn said firmly. "I had to come here."

"And why is that?" the king demanded.

"Because I care a great deal for your daughter," Flynn said with a slight glare. "And because I…I had to come here. It's not easy to explain, Your Highness."

The king leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "Try to, Mr. Fitzherbert," he said with an arch of his eyebrow. "I am very interested in your explanation."

Flynn almost regretted saying anything in the first place, but he was in too deep now. Clearing his throat with the look of a martyr, Flynn decided it was now or never. "I'm connected to her. I have to be near her, and she needs to be near me, otherwise we'd both die," he said in a rush. "The…the magic that brought me back used Rapunzel's tears, and so…we're connected. I don't really understand it, but…that's it," he finished lamely, looking rather like he'd just had to sit through having his teeth pulled rather fiercely.

This story seemed to surprise Rapunzel as much as it did the king, but Flynn guessed that wasn't a surprise, really. She hadn't heard it yet herself, after all. Looking from father to daughter, Flynn waited for something to happen. Anything, really. He was starting to get uncomfortable in the silence. Glancing over at Rapunzel, Flynn felt the ache building up in his heart again as he realized that they weren't holding hands again, and he instinctively held out his hand to her. Without a second thought, Rapunzel rushed towards him and took his hand. The ache had probably been something she felt, too. The king watched all of this closely, his eyes fixed on the hands of his daughter and the man who had saved her life.

"A connection, you say?" he asked after a moment's silence.

Flynn nodded and tightened his hold on Rapunzel's hand, something that brought another smile to her face as she looked up at him. Moving still closer to Flynn, she leaned against him in an attempt to have more contact between the two of them, something that Flynn couldn't complain about right now. The more contact between them, the less of an ache there was in his chest. He could only assume that it was the same for Rapunzel. Once more, Flynn felt as though the king's eyes were boring into him.

"What sort of connection?" the king asked slowly, frowning a little. "And how would this affect my daughter?"

"I really don't know, Your Highness," Flynn said with a shrug before instinctively wrapping an arm around Rapunzel's waist. "I just found out about it today myself."

Once more, the blue eyes moved to Flynn's hand holding Rapunzel, and Flynn felt his face burning a bright crimson as he noticed this. But he didn't release Rapunzel. It would hurt too much to do so.

"All I know is that when we aren't at least holding hands…it hurts," Flynn finally said, shrugging.

Rapunzel nodded emphatically and wrapped her arms around Flynn in a tight hug. Burying her face against his chest, she glanced over at her father with pleading eyes. "Please, Daddy…you have to let Eugene stay," she said quietly. "It hurts so much to not have him here."

Frowning a little at this, the king looked as though he was puzzling through something. Finally, he looked at the two young people with a frown. "And if this does hurt as much as you say…what does that mean for Mr. Fitzherbert's living arrangements?"

Once more, Flynn's face flushed a deep red as he looked down at Rapunzel. Sweet, innocent Rapunzel, who didn't know exactly what her father meant by his question. And she didn't seem to find her next answer very odd, though it caused both Flynn and her father to cringe.

"He'll sleep with me, of course!" she cried with a smile up at Flynn, not seeing the pained expression that crossed his face.

The king and Flynn met one another's gazes for a moment, and a silent understanding seemed to pass between the two of them. Sighing in slight relief, Flynn tightened his hold around Rapunzel as the king seemed to ponder something over. Finally, the king made a slight gesture.

"It seems, from what I understand," the king said slowly, sounding as though someone was twisting his arm viciously, "that I have no choice but to allow this."

Rapunzel looked quite pleased with herself, rather like a cat that had gotten into the cream. Smiling up at Flynn, she tightened her arms around him and then rushed forward to place a gentle kiss on her father's cheek. The pain was already starting to build up inside of Flynn's chest as he watched the Princess with her father. It must have been just as bad for Rapunzel, because her eyes went wide with the pain and her hand flew to her chest, resting over her heart. Turning suddenly, she practically flew to Flynn and threw her arms around his middle, burying her face against his chest and whimpering slightly. Wrapping his own arms around her, Flynn sighed in relief.

"You two go on to bed," the king said with a sigh. "I'll discuss all this with your mother, Rapunzel." Standing up and walking over to where the two were standing, the king gently kissed the top of Rapunzel's head. "Sleep well, Rapunzel," he murmured, his eyes briefly meeting Flynn's with a slight warning in them.

Swallowing harshly at this, Flynn nodded respectfully as Rapunzel beamed up at her father and wished him a good night. Once the king had gone, Flynn sagged against Rapunzel and softly kissed her forehead in relief. Rapunzel gave him a questioning look, but Flynn simply shook his head.

"Just tired," he fibbed, smiling crookedly at her.

Smiling back up at him, Rapunzel gave him one last squeeze around the middle before taking his hand and leading him to her bedroom. Flynn really didn't know what to think about this new arrangement. He would have to be _very_ careful with what he did and said now, but he was fairly sure he could manage that much. Hopefully. The last thing that Flynn wanted to do was give the king a reason to hate him.

Rapunzel's bedroom proved to be enormous. The entire inside of her tower could have fit in here, with room to spare. Unlike her tower rooms, however, the walls were very blank. No paintings covered the walls, and Flynn found that he missed the paintings. They had been so like Rapunzel herself; vibrant and full of energy for life. And the bed…

Flynn gaped at the bed for a moment as Rapunzel reluctantly released his hand long enough to pull off her robe. It was huge! They could both sleep in it and never touch, if they had wanted to. And probably fit Max in there too, while they were at it. Shaking his head in amazement, Flynn followed Rapunzel over and began kicking off his boots. Once they were both ready for bed, Rapunzel clambered on top of the large mattress and burrowed under the thick covers, motioning for Flynn to join her.

For the first time in his life, Flynn found himself hesitating to climb into a bed with a beautiful girl. Probably because this girl's father was the king, who would execute Flynn on the spot if he did anything to put her virtue at risk. Swallowing nervously, Flynn obeyed the silent request and joined Rapunzel in the enormous bed, his body practically sinking into the soft mattress as he did so. In an instant, Rapunzel was curled up against him, her hand finding his somehow under the sea of sheets and covers. Looking down at Rapunzel's big green eyes, Flynn managed a soft smile as he squeezed her hand softly under the covers and settled more comfortably next to her.

This was still very weird for the former thief, but he'd dealt with weird before. He hadn't freaked out when Rapunzel's hair healed his hand, after all. All right, so maybe he freaked out a _little_ bit, but her hair had been _glowing_ and had just healed a large cut in his hand! He had a right to be bothered by that. This, though…this was a different sort of weird. The sort that, if he messed this up, might end up with him dying. Again. Flynn didn't want to die again anytime soon, so he decided then and there that he wasn't going to do anything that Flynn Rider would normally do when left alone in a large, comfortable bed with a pretty lady.

"Good night, Eugene," Rapunzel whispered, snuggling closer to him, her face relaxing as the closer contact further eased their discomfort.

"'Night, Blondie," Flynn whispered back, wrapping his free arm around her as he closed his eyes. Maybe things weren't as weird as he thought they were.

Yeah…and maybe Max would sprout wings and start flying to the moon.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Eleven

Flynn woke up with what felt like hair in his face. Sputtering a little and batting his hand in front of his face, he slowly opened his eyes and found Rapunzel resting half on his chest with her head tucked just under his chin, her hair getting into his mouth. Her eyes were still closed, so Flynn didn't want to bother her just now. Moving his head so that her hair wasn't tickling his chin anymore, Flynn gently rubbed her back and sighed to himself. For the first time in weeks, Flynn had woken up without any pain in his chest, and he had to admit that he was more than a little relieved by this fact.

The pain had become an almost constant thing before now, and with it gone…Flynn felt so much better than he had in a long time. Even before he met Rapunzel, Flynn hadn't felt this whole. Maybe it was because a part of him was waiting for Rapunzel, but Flynn wasn't much of a romantic and pushed the thought away hastily. Being bound to Rapunzel was one thing, but soul mates? That was just silly. Soul mates didn't exist. There was just a person that you decided you could spend the rest of your life with, but not someone that your soul was mates with.

Looking back down at Rapunzel, Flynn smiled a little at how peaceful she seemed and softly brushed her hair back from her face. Spending the rest of his life with Rapunzel wasn't something that he would complain about anytime soon. Even if they weren't connected to one another the way they were.

Suddenly something wet struck his ear and Flynn gave a loud cry of protest, turning to glare at Pascal, who gave a hissing laugh at Flynn's reaction. "That…is really annoying," Flynn muttered through gritted teeth as Rapunzel started to stir awake.

Blinking sleepily, the young Princess smiled up at Flynn and yawned slightly. "I thought you were a dream," she admitted as she gave Flynn a good morning hug.

"Not a chance, Blondie," Flynn replied as he sat up. His back felt better than it had in a long time after sleeping on this ridiculously soft bed, and he could feel how mussed his hair was. Glancing up at it, he smiled wryly as Rapunzel slipped out of the bed, her hand somehow still holding his.

"You can't call me Blondie anymore," she said with a somewhat sad smile, shaking her short brown hair for emphasis.

"'Course I can," Flynn retorted, also slipping out of bed. "You'll always be Blondie to me."

Rapunzel rolled her eyes teasingly at him as she made her way to the wardrobe, seemingly intent on still holding Flynn's hand, but Flynn held back. She didn't honestly expect to change in front of him, did she? Flynn stared into Rapunzel's large, innocent eyes and realized that she expected to do exactly that. Oh…not good.

"I'll wait right here," he said with a sheepish smile. "It'll be hard to get dressed if you're always holding my hand," he offered by way of an explanation when Rapunzel gave him a questioning look. That was true enough, and steered away from the very awkward conversation about why it was inappropriate for Flynn to watch her change her clothes.

Seemingly satisfied with this answer, Rapunzel reluctantly released Flynn's hand, her face instantly going a little paler as the throb of pain went through both of them at once. Also wincing at the loss of contact, Flynn forced himself to stay exactly where he was rather than follow after Rapunzel. There were boundaries, after all, even if he was sharing her bed for now. Flynn winced at that and wondered what exactly the king had said to the queen last night when he explained everything.

Pulling his boots on and flattening his hair in an attempt to keep his mind off of the growing pain in his chest, Flynn sat on one of the many delicate-looking chairs that decorated Rapunzel's room and waited for her to come back. Glancing around him at the bare walls, Flynn was once more struck by how empty this room felt compared to Rapunzel's tower. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt something very solid collide with his chest, causing his breath to rush out of his lungs with a loud "Whuff" sound. Fortunately, the chair that Flynn was sitting on held, even after the abuse Rapunzel's hug had put it through.

"Easy, Princess," Flynn said breathlessly. "You'll knock the wind right out of me if you keep doing that."

"Sorry," Rapunzel said, her voice muffled by his shirt as she buried her face against his chest. "I couldn't walk here fast enough."

"So you decided to just attack me instead?" Flynn teased, gently stroking her hair. "I'm sorry about this, Blondie," he added, twisting a bit of her hair around his finger.

Rapunzel shook her head against his chest and glanced up at him with a smile. "You did what you knew would keep me safe. Besides," she said with a beaming look. "Now I don't have to always worry about tripping over my hair!" She demonstrated this by pulling away to twirl slightly before hugging Flynn again. Much more gently this time, thankfully.

"You sure you don't mind?" Flynn asked as he hugged Rapunzel back.

She nodded firmly before pulling back and grabbing his hand. "It's time for breakfast now," she said with a bright smile. "And you can meet my mother, too!"

Flynn wasn't really looking forward to that. It had been nerve-wracking enough to meet the king the night before. And how were they supposed to eat if they had to be constantly holding hands? One thing at a time, Rider, he told himself mentally. One thing at a time.

At least this time Rapunzel didn't try to pull his arm clean off as she led him through the halls of the castle. That didn't mean that Flynn had an easier time of remembering where exactly they turned and when. He was going to become lost very quickly in this place, he could already tell. Of course, he had robbed the castle, but that had been from the outside, where he could see the sky and tell exactly where he was at any given moment. This was entirely different, and Flynn suspected that he would have to spend a long time learning how to get around the castle without becoming hopelessly lost in the process.

All too soon, Flynn found himself in a large dining hall with the king and queen both staring at him, their eyes flitting briefly to his hand that now held Rapunzel's. The anxiety that had been gripping Flynn's stomach up until now started spreading through his entire body as he met the gazes of the king and queen. Rapunzel didn't seem to notice the looks her parents were giving Flynn as she pulled him to the table, both of them sitting down at the same moment.

"So," the queen said, causing Flynn to start in surprise. "I take it that this is the famous Eugene Fitzherbert?"

"Ye-yes, Your Highness," Flynn said with a polite nod. "That would be me."

"I understand that you are now connected in some way to my daughter," the queen continued, her green eyes that were so similar to Rapunzel's staring straight at Flynn. "What exactly is the manner of this connection?"

"Well…" Flynn said sheepishly, reaching up with his free hand to rub the back of his neck. "I'm not exactly sure, Your Highness. I just know that when we aren't…touching each other in some way, we both feel a lot of pain." Out of the corner of his eye Flynn saw Rapunzel nodding emphatically.

"I see…" the queen mused. "And why did my daughter not show very many symptoms of this connection sooner?"

So Rapunzel hadn't been suffering too much from their separation. Flynn let out a sigh of relief and felt Rapunzel's fingers tighten around his briefly.

"I don't know," Flynn said honestly. "I guess it's because I had to be brought back from the dead and was already physically weaker."

This answer seemed to satisfy the queen as she looked down at her plate again. Flynn sagged in relief and glanced at Rapunzel with a slight smile. She returned the smile before looking at her own plate. Apparently she had come to the same conclusion that Flynn had earlier; they had to stop touching to eat. Frowning at this, Rapunzel gazed at her food for a moment as though trying to will it into her mouth before she reluctantly released Flynn's hand. At once, a wave of discomfort hit the pair, causing them to both gasp in surprise, which caused both the king and queen to look up in worry.

For a moment, Rapunzel considered taking hold of Eugene's hand again, but she forced herself to begin eating, even though the pain in her chest made her feel as though she had lost her appetite. But Eugene was trying so hard to enjoy his food beside her, so she couldn't give up without looking weak compared to him. As she began taking tiny bites, Rapunzel's foot moved towards Eugene's, and once her leg was pressed against his, some of the pain eased. It didn't disappear entirely, as there was no skin on skin contact, but it made the pain much more bearable, which was a very welcome fact to both Rapunzel and Eugene.

Throughout the meal, the queen watched her daughter and the dashing rogue closely. Her daughter had not shown symptoms of great pain, beyond that which anyone would feel after losing someone they cared for, until the last few days. In that time, the queen had noticed that Rapunzel's hand would go to rest over her heart more and more often. Had that been a sign of the connection? Perhaps, but the queen couldn't be certain of anything just yet. Her husband had been very sure to explain about their daughter sharing her bed with this Eugene Fitzherbert, or Flynn Rider as the queen was more used to calling him.

Flynn Rider…the queen had not expected to hear that the famous thief and all-around rogue was responsible for saving her daughter's life. She had been grateful, of course, and she and her husband had instantly pardoned the thief for all his crimes. Even though the man had been dead at the time, it felt like the best thing to do to show their gratitude. And now he was here, very much alive and holding her daughter's hand whenever he could, or resting his hand on her arm when he could not. Certainly not something the queen had ever expected to see.

"Mr. Fitzherbert," the queen said once the meal had been completed and Rapunzel and Eugene were once more holding hands under the table.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Eugene asked, looking nervous.

Smiling kindly, the queen gave him a look that was meant to convey how grateful she was to him. "My husband explained the…unusual sleeping arrangement that you must have, due to your connection with my daughter."

The young man had the decency to flush at the ears in embarrassment. Good, the queen thought. That meant that he had at least _some_ morals where her daughter was concerned.

"However, I wish to make something perfectly clear to you," she continued, her look becoming rather stern. "I do not wish to hear or even come to suspect that anything dishonorable is happening between you and my daughter."

Rapunzel's mouth opened to protest, her large eyes filled with innocent indignation at the accusation in her mother's words. The queen held up a hand to silence Rapunzel before the Princess could speak as she continued.

"I trust that I shall not have to speak to you again on this matter?"

"No, ma'am," the young man said emphatically. "I promise you won't."

"Good," the queen said with a regal smile. "Now…I suggest that you two find some way to become separated for at least a short time. Rapunzel must attend her lessons, and I feel that you, Mr. Fitzherbert, should speak with our tailors about some new clothing."

With that, she stood and, with her husband following behind her, swept out of the room regally, leaving Flynn slack-jawed and in awe. After a few moments of silence, Flynn's mouth slowly shut and he turned to look at Rapunzel.

"She is right," he managed to say weakly. "We will have to figure out how to not be touching for a while. Because I am _not_ holding your hand while you're having a bath," he said in a rush, his ears once more turning pink.

Rapunzel also turned a little pink at this and nodded, giving her Eugene's hand a soft squeeze. "I guess so," she said with a sigh. "But it hurts so much to not be touching."

"I know, Blondie," Flynn said soothingly. "But we've got to at least try."

With a sigh, Rapunzel scrunched her eyes up and reluctantly pulled her hand away from Eugene's. Once she had done so, her leg began moving instinctively towards his, but she willed it to stay still. Her hands began to shake with the desire to hold onto Eugene, and her chest throbbed in protest, but Rapunzel wasn't about to give in to it. Opening her eyes to look at Eugene, she saw that he had gone pale, but was giving her an encouraging smile.

"It's a start," he said quietly. "Let's go, Blondie. We have a long day ahead of us."


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Twelve

Rapunzel almost ran back to Eugene the minute she was in the library with her history tutor. The pain in her chest, which hadn't been this bad before Eugene came to the castle, was now almost unbearable. She couldn't concentrate on the lessons that she was supposed to be taking. Not even on the ones she was interested in, such as her dance and drawing lessons. The throbbing in her chest just kept her from being able to move with her usual grace while dancing, which caused her dancing master to ask what was troubling her.

"I'm fine," Rapunzel insisted, even as she stumbled over the next steps in the dance, something she had never done before in all her time at the castle.

The dancing master arched a disbelieving eyebrow at this, but said nothing more as he corrected her steps. This continued for the remainder of the lesson, and finally Rapunzel couldn't take the pain anymore. Running out of the room without her usual farewell to her instructor, she ran in the direction that seemed to make the pain ease somewhat. Finally, she spotted Eugene leaning against a wall, looking very pale and drawn, and dressed in new clothing. But she didn't bother to make much note of his new clothes as she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"I can't do it, Eugene," she whispered. "It hurts too much to be away from you."

Eugene gave a grunt when she ran into him, but his arms were instantly around her, one hand resting against the back of her neck to better ease the pain that they had both been feeling. Burying her face against Eugene's neck, Rapunzel gave a soft whimper as the discomfort began to ease.

"It's going to be fine, Blondie," Eugene said, though Rapunzel was sure he didn't feel as confident as he sounded. "Come on…let's go sit down somewhere."

They walked out to the gardens, hands tightly gripping one another as they walked. Neither of them wanted to release each other after all the time they had already spent separated from one another that morning. Once they had found a marble bench, they both sat down at once and moved as close to one another as they could get.

"Shh, Blondie," Eugene murmured when Rapunzel made a soft sound of discomfort. Even just hugging or holding hands didn't seem to be enough to ease the pain entirely. "We'll be fine. Promise."

Rapunzel nodded sadly, even though a part of her, the part that was still suffering from the pain, didn't really believe him. If they were going to be fine, why did they still hurt so much? They were as close to one another as they could be, and it still hurt a little. It was easing, of course, but very slowly. Wincing a little, Rapunzel pressed one hand against his neck and sighed in relief as the pain eased even more.

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The king and queen watched their daughter from their bedroom window, holding one another's hands tightly. It was very clear now that their daughter was suffering each moment she wasn't with her reformed thief, and it pained the king and queen to see this. They wanted only the best for their daughter, like any parents did, and it appeared that this Eugene Fitzherbert was just that. Frowning a little, the queen looked up at her husband and reached up to place a hand on his shoulder.

"What are we going to do for them, William?" she asked softly.

"I don't know, Eleanor," the king replied, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I just don't know."

"I do."

Both the king and queen turned in surprise at the sound of the old woman's voice behind them. They hadn't noticed that she had even entered the room. Glancing at one another in confusion, they gripped each other's hands tighter.

"Who are you?" the king demanded, stepping slightly in front of his wife, as though ready to defend her at a moment's notice.

"I guessed that you wouldn't remember me after so long, William," the old woman said with a sad, but kind smile. "Your own mother, though?"

Both of the rulers stared at the old woman before giving each other frightened and confused looks. His mother? But she had vanished years ago. Long before Rapunzel was born and lost. The king's grip on his wife's hand tightened ever so slightly.

"That can't be," the king said firmly. "My mother disappeared years ago."

"Of course I did," the old woman said with a disdainful sniff. "You had to become your own ruler, not dependant on your mother. But I am who I say I am, and I know exactly what you can do for your daughter and her brave young man."

The queen took a step closer to her husband, placing a hand on his shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. "William," she said gently. "Perhaps she is telling the truth."

"I always liked her," the old woman said, pointing at the queen. "Knew that little Princess Eleanor was the right choice for you."

The king and queen stared at each other with wide eyes at this. Who else would know that about their relationship? There had been several people who disapproved the marriage, as Eleanor's kingdom was seemingly too small and poor for any suitable alliance, but Prince William's mother had been a wholehearted supporter of the match. Tightening their grip on each other's hands, the king and queen both sighed in resignation.

"Mother," the king said with an arch of his eyebrow. "What exactly do you suggest we do to help our daughter?"

The old woman gave them a smile of triumph as she sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs that were in the room. Settling herself comfortably, she pulled out her knitting, seemingly out of nowhere, and soon her needles were flashing in the sunlight.

"I am still working out what happened to them both when I brought young Eugene back from the dead," she said, giving both the king and queen a pointed look when they opened their mouths to speak. "But whatever I did, affected them both far more than I anticipated. I certainly didn't expect for Rapunzel to be in this much pain once she met Eugene again. Unfortunately, that is what happened."

"But what can we do for them?" the queen asked, holding her husband tight.

"That is something I am still trying to work out," the old woman admitted. "Something tells me, though, that what needs to be done is to keep them together. No suitors for Rapunzel. It would break both of their hearts for her to be forced to choose any other man. Now, there is no doubt about it, the two of them are meant to remain together, no matter what. They may marry one day, and I say that is all for the best. That boy loves Rapunzel, though he doesn't quite understand it yet, and Rapunzel loves him, though she really has no grasp on what love really means."

The king started to protest to this, but the older woman gave him a dark look before he could. Swallowing his pride along with his words, the king waited for her to continue.

"Now…I believe that the connection only causes pain when they are not touching. You've seen this, of course?" When both the king and queen nodded, she continued. "They need physical contact of some form or another. Nothing like _that_," she added at the horrified look that the king gave her. "Not yet, at least. That should be saved for marriage, of course. But they will need to touch at least some of the time each day. There will be pain for the rest of the time, but I think that I can find ways to ease that."

"Anything to help Rapunzel," the queen said sincerely. "Please…"

"I know, my dear," the old woman said, her knitting needles still going. "I won't be able to make the pain leave entirely, but who knows. Perhaps I'll be able to make it easier for both of them."

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Rapunzel woke up in her bed with Eugene next to her. They must have been more exhausted than she had thought they were. Snuggling up against Eugene, Rapunzel sighed in relief as the ache seemed to be completely gone now. That was so much better. Eugene's hand was pressed against her back, holding her close even though he was fast asleep. Smiling at this, Rapunzel wrapped her arms around him as well, making sure that she was as close to him as possible.

Eugene didn't even stir when Rapunzel moved against him, which she was partly thankful for. For a moment, all she wanted was to be close to him without talking. Sometimes Eugene could talk too much. Not that Rapunzel minded terribly. Just having him back was enough for her to forget his habit of talking too much when he couldn't think of what else to do.

They remained like this for a long moment as Rapunzel looked around her at the room. It was almost as though she was properly seeing the room for the first time since she had come here, which wasn't really too far from the truth. Of course, she hadn't been very concerned with her surroundings when she first came to the castle. Now that she looked at it, Rapunzel had the sudden urge to cover these bare walls with paintings. And not just any paintings, but paintings of her adventures with Eugene. Not the day in the tower, though, she thought with a slight shiver. That was a memory that she would rather not have on her wall.

Sitting up slowly so that she didn't wake up Eugene, Rapunzel kept her hand in his as she looked more at the walls. She wouldn't be able to use her hair to keep her steady for the parts nearer the ceiling, but she would manage. There had to be ladders somewhere in a castle this size, after all. Smiling to herself at the thought, Rapunzel idly ran her thumb over Eugene's knuckles as she began planning the new paintings. Everything was going to be fine. She was sure of it.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Thirteen

Flynn didn't know why, but when he woke up, he had the distinct feeling that someone was staring at him. Someone who definitely _wasn't_ Rapunzel. Opening his eyes slowly and looking up over Rapunzel's head, he noticed two things. One, it was still dark outside, so it had to be sometime in the middle of the night. Two, the person standing over him was the last person he wanted to talk to right now. Glowering a little as he tightened his hold on Rapunzel, Flynn shifted so that he could better face the person who was watching them both.

"What do _you_ want _now_?" he demanded shortly. "Haven't you done enough?"

It didn't help that the damn knitting needles were out, too. Flynn _really_ didn't want to talk to Granny right now. He didn't want to talk to her _ever_, actually, but he was at least going to pretend to be polite to the little old lady. And he wasn't going to pretend very well, at that. With his arms still wrapped around Rapunzel, he leveled a glare at Granny.

"Well?" he hissed, doing his best to not wake up Rapunzel.

"No need to be so rude, young man," Granny replied calmly, not meeting his gaze as she continued her knitting. "I'm here to help."

"Yeah. Because your help has proved to work so well before now," Flynn grumbled. Thankfully Granny didn't hit him with a knitting needle this time. His scalp had been abused enough by her. That and it would also wake up Rapunzel if she did.

"Well this time, it will," Granny said simply. "Give me one of your hands."

Glancing down at Rapunzel for a moment, Flynn obeyed with a sigh and few choice words muttered darkly under his breath. Granny glared at him a little, but she didn't do anything else as she looked intently at his hand. What was she doing anyway, Flynn wondered. Was she trying to read his fortune like some gypsy fortune teller? Whatever she was doing, it apparently involved some chanting. As he watched, Flynn couldn't help but gape as his hand began _glowing_.

"What," he said flatly once the glow vanished.

"I just helped you and your Princess," Granny said with a sniff. "Now you won't hurt as much when you aren't touching. I didn't _cure_ the pain," she added when Flynn gave her a funny look. "I just made it more bearable. For now, that's really all that I can do." Standing up slowly, she stuffed her knitting into a bag that Flynn hadn't noticed before. "Sleep well, Eugene Fitzherbert. You'll need it."

And with that, she was gone. Blinking in confusion, Flynn looked down at Rapunzel and then at the hand that Granny had held. Had it really been glowing a few moments ago? Shaking his head a little, Flynn settled back down next to Rapunzel and closed his eyes. Maybe it was all just a really weird dream, he thought to himself as he yawned.

The next morning dawned clear and bright. Not that Flynn really noticed right away. His head was practically buried in the pile of pillows that dominated the head of Rapunzel's bed, and her hair was once more tickling his chin as he woke up reluctantly. Slowly opening his eyes, Flynn smiled down at Rapunzel's still-sleeping face. She looked so peaceful with her head nestled under his chin and her arms loosely draped around his middle, one hand lightly touching his wrist. He could get used to waking up like this every morning.

Rapunzel woke up slowly, starting with lightly stirring against him and her eyes fluttering slightly. When she was fully awake she smiled sweetly up at Flynn and gave him a tight hug. "Morning," she greeted sleepily.

"Morning yourself, Blondie," Flynn replied. He wondered if he should tell her about the mysterious visit from Granny last night, but decided against it. He still wasn't entirely sure if it had been a dream or not, anyway. No need to get Rapunzel worked up over nothing. "We should get up…"

Rapunzel nodded but made no move to do anything of the kind. "I don't want to go to my lessons today," she said with a pout. "It hurts too much and I can't concentrate."

Rubbing her back soothingly, Flynn sat up slightly and kissed the top of her head. Maybe he should tell her about seeing Granny. Just to make her feel better about doing what she needed to. Flynn opened his mouth to do just that, when he felt a now-familiar wet something hitting his ear.

"Gah!" he cried in protest. "Really? Must you?"

Pascal snickered and then settled down comfortably on one of the many pillows on the bed, still giving Flynn a satisfied smirk. If lizards could smirk, that is. Glaring at the chameleon, Flynn muttered a few choice words about Pascal under his breath as he stood up, hand still held tight by Rapunzel.

"C'mon, Blondie," he urged. "We have to get up anyway."

Looking very reluctant, Rapunzel nodded and also slipped out of bed, eyeing the wardrobe as though it was an enemy. Her hand tightened around Flynn's for a moment before she screwed up her face in concentration and released him. There was a dull throb in their chests, but nothing as bad as it had been yesterday. Looking up at Flynn in surprise, Rapunzel stared at their hands as though they were something alien and foreign to her.

"What happened?" she asked musingly.

Once more, Flynn debated telling her about his visit from Granny, but he decided against it as she started to move towards the wardrobe. "Don't know," he fibbed with a shrug as Rapunzel gathered up her clothes and went to dress.

This was going to be an interesting time, Flynn thought. How long would Granny's little 'blessing' last anyway? And when would the pain come back again? No answers presented themselves to him, so Flynn decided to simply focus on getting himself dressed before Rapunzel came back. Something would present itself eventually. It usually did.

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Author's Note: Just a little filler chapter. Bear with me. My old Pirates of the Caribbean muse has been resurrected and demands attention, so I might be a bit slower with this story. We'll see. Enjoy! And keep reviewing!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Fourteen

The first thing that the king and queen noticed when their daughter and Eugene entered the room for breakfast was the fact that Rapunzel was skipping ahead of Eugene, without their hands touching. Then the king's mysterious mother had kept her word. Exchanging relieved glanced with one another, the two rulers gently squeezed one another's hands and both sighed happily as their daughter rushed forward to greet them with hugs and kisses on the cheek.

"Mother, Daddy!" Rapunzel cried happily. "Look! It doesn't hurt as much anymore for Eugene and me to not be touching!"

"That is wonderful, my dear," the queen replied gently, taking Rapunzel's hand in hers for a brief moment. "There is no need to hang about like a servant, Mr. Fitzherbert," she added with a slight smile at Eugene. "Please, take a seat. After all, you are practically family now."

The former thief's ears turned a slight pink and the queen chuckled to herself as he sat down next to Rapunzel, looking for very much like a small boy having dinner with his parents' friends for the first time. Not that the queen could really blame him for looking that way. After all, suddenly living with the rulers of a nation was not something that you got used to easily or quickly. Rapunzel, on the other hand, was chatting away in a manner that she had never done before, even on her good days. Seeing this made the queen's heart lift in joy as she met the eyes of her husband across the table.

"And I hope I can get some new paints and start decorating my room!" the Princess said, finally catching her mother's full attention.

"Oh?" the queen asked curiously. "Is there anything wrong with your room?"

Eugene looked a little uneasy suddenly and focused on his food as Rapunzel paused, an expression of shock and mild shame crossing her face. "No…it's a beautiful room," she said quietly. "But…the walls are so bare." Rapunzel looked up through her eyelashes at her mother, looking very shy suddenly. "I…when I was in the tower, I would pass the time painting my walls, because that was all I had to paint. I got so used to it that now…my new room feels very empty."

The queen watched as Eugene's hand found its way to Rapunzel's, her eyes fixed on their entwined fingers for a moment before she spoke slowly. "Then I don't see why you should not have the paints you want, dear," she said in a slightly choked voice. Even now, so many weeks after regaining her daughter, hearing about Rapunzel's time in that horrible tower made her want to run away and cry. "Of course…you know that you don't ever need to hesitate to ask us anything….Excuse me."

Standing hastily, the queen made her way out of the room, closing the door behind her as calmly as she could.

At the table, Rapunzel looked guiltily at the door that had closed behind her mother before turning to look at her father. "I didn't mean…" she started to say.

"I know, Rapunzel," the king said soothingly, placing a hand on hers. "But your mother is still recovering from everything. It isn't easy to forget that your child grew up far away from you." A serious look crossed the king's face, but he didn't release Rapunzel's hand. "Don't worry," he said after a moment. "Everything will be fine, I promise. I will see to it that the paints and supplies you need are sent to your room. Now…" he added, standing and kissing his daughter's forehead. "I have some business to attend to. I will see you later, my Princess."

Now left alone, Rapunzel looked sheepishly at Eugene and pouted slightly. "I hate it when they get sad," she said with a sigh. "But I never know when something I say will make them sad because of how much it reminds them of all that time I was gone."

The sudden desire to hug Rapunzel swept over Flynn and he acted on it, pulling her close to him and resting his cheek against her hair. "It'll be fine, Rapunzel," he said quietly as she clung to him. "I promise it will. Don't worry about a thing."

She turned large green eyes up at him with a soft smile. "Thank you, Eugene," she said sweetly, tilting her head up to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

Flynn felt as though his entire body was being slowly warmed as Rapunzel's soft lips lingered on his cheek. Blushing a little at this, he cleared his throat and stood up slowly, helping Rapunzel to her feet. "I guess you have lessons to go to…" he said reluctantly.

Rapunzel pouted a little at this and crossed her arms in a petulant manner. "I don't _want_ to go, though," she said with a sigh. "I don't need to know half of the things I'm being taught. Who's ever going to ask me silly questions about philosophy besides my tutors anyway?"

Laughing slightly at this, Flynn fondly brushed a bit of hair behind Rapunzel's ear and grinned charmingly at her. "What would you want to do if you didn't have to go to class?" he asked.

Her eyes grew wide at the question before a bright smile lit up her entire face. "I'd want to go out into the city!" she said without hesitation. "I want to see all of it! We only saw part of it on my birthday."

Quite without meaning to, Flynn let his mind wander to that day; the best day of his life, up until he saw the Stabbington brothers on the shore. She was right…they _had_ only seen a small part of the large city and all it had to offer. They had spent much more time in the town square, either dancing or letting the little girls braid her hair. Smiling down at Rapunzel, Flynn took her hand in his and gave her a wink.

"I think you can get away with skipping classes for one day, don't you?" he asked.

Rapunzel beamed in delight and squeezed his hand fondly before lacing her fingers through his. "I think I can," she agreed before rushing out of the room, pulling Flynn after her.

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Rapunzel hadn't spent much of her time outside of the palace since her return to the city. To be perfectly honest, there hadn't been any incentive for her to do so. At that point, any reminder of the glorious birthday she had spent with Eugene would have been too painful for her to face. Now that Eugene was back, however, there was nothing stopping her from once more going into the city. Thankfully she had the foresight to change her dress for something a little more plain and left her crown on her bedside table. Otherwise she would have been swarmed by townspeople the instant she stepped out of the palace gates.

She didn't look to see if Eugene was following her. There was no need for her to do so, as she could feel him walking just behind her, no doubt with his usual charming smile on his face. Right now, Rapunzel was far too interested in her surroundings to be worried about whether or not Eugene was staying close. She was sure he didn't mind, as he didn't complain, and was soon skipping ahead of him.

Flynn would never get used to Rapunzel's boundless energy. He would also never get tired of it, he decided as he watched Rapunzel twirl slightly a few paces ahead of him. Nothing in the world seemed capable of keeping him down. At least…nothing other than losing him. The thought was a little too close to home, but it still warmed Flynn's heart to know just how much the vibrant Princess cared about him. Stepping closer to her, Flynn surprised her by taking her hand in his. Not because his chest was starting to hurt again, but simply because he wanted to.

"Where do you want to go first?" he asked as he softly laced his fingers with hers.

"Oh…I don't really know," Rapunzel admitted with a grin. "You choose!"

In the end, they were simply walking from one shop to the next, looking in through the windows to see what was inside before deciding which one to visit first. The whole time, Flynn kept her hand in his, their fingers intertwined. It just felt right to hold her hand, even if there wasn't a pressing need for the contact. And Rapunzel wasn't complaining about it, either. If anything, she seemed pleased with the fact that they were holding hands.

Flynn wasn't really looking at the shop windows after the first four. He even gave up all pretense of pretending to look through them, perfectly satisfied with looking at Rapunzel. He had to admit that he preferred her hair this way. When it was long, it only got in the way unless they needed to use it as a rope or heal a cut of some sort. That, and she looked so cute with her hair cut short around her face, giving her more of a pixie-ish look than before. And Flynn had always had a thing for brunettes.

That was when they reached the toy shop, and Rapunzel's eyes grew so wide that for a moment, Flynn feared they would fall out of her head entirely. "What is it, Blondie?" he asked, glancing at the shop window.

"I've never seen a toy shop before," she breathed reverently, as though they had just found the Holy Grail. "Can we look in here, Eugene? Please?"

As if she needed his permission. She was the Princess, after all. Still, she was looking at him pleadingly and expecting an answer. Smiling at her, Flynn nodded. "If you want."

With a soft squeal of delight, Rapunzel gave him a tight hug before dragging him inside. Everything in there seemed to make Rapunzel dizzy with joy, from the dolls to the spinning tops, and for a while, Flynn just stood near the door and watched her. She was like a little brown-haired whirlwind, going from shelf to shelf as fast as a thought as something new caught her eye, and Flynn thought it was the cutest thing he had ever seen in his life. Smiling to himself, he leaned back against the wall and simply let Rapunzel have her moment of childish delight.

By the time the aching started to build up in his chest, Rapunzel had been through almost the entire shop, simply admiring everything. But the moment that the discomfort started to appear, she rushed back to Flynn and gave him a hug before taking his hand.

"I've looked enough," she said, though she did glance towards the back of the shop where she hadn't explored longingly.

"You sure?" Flynn pressed. He didn't want her to feel like they had to leave just because they had felt slightly uncomfortable.

"Yes," Rapunzel said firmly. "I can always come back. Let's go."

The rest of the day seemed to pass quickly after that. They wandered the city aimlessly, holding hands most of the time, though they did let go every now and then whenever Rapunzel wanted to rush ahead to investigate some new sight. By the time Flynn announced that they should return to the palace before the guards came looking for them, Rapunzel was starting to complain of how sore her feet were.

"That's what you get for going around barefoot," Flynn teased as he bent down to scoop her up in his arms, even though is own feet were starting to ache. "People wear shoes for a reason."

"But shoes pinch my toes," Rapunzel complained, wrinkling her nose as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I don't like them at all."

"You don't say," Flynn muttered teasingly, grinning down at her. "You'll have to get used to them, though. Princesses kind of have to wear them. It's in the rule book somewhere."

Rapunzel giggled and settled more comfortably against his chest. "There isn't a Princess rule book," she said quietly.

Flynn didn't respond to that, and they both fell silent as he carried her back to the castle. They both knew that Rapunzel could have very easily walked back to the palace, but neither of them wanted to say it out loud. It was so much nicer being like this; so close to one another without any of the residual aching from when they hadn't been touching.

Rapunzel certainly enjoyed having Eugene carry her, though she had no idea why. Perhaps it was because no one had carried her anywhere since she was very little, when Mother Gothel insisted that she was a big enough girl to walk around by herself. Or maybe it was because it was Eugene carrying her. Looking up at his face, Rapunzel decided that had to be the reason. She always felt happier when she was with Eugene, and not just because it meant they weren't hurting anymore. Something inside her heart felt lighter when Eugene was close to her, but she couldn't say what it was. Shrugging mentally, Rapunzel rested her head against Eugene's chest and closed her eyes, suddenly feeling a little tired.

Flynn already knew why he enjoyed being so close to Rapunzel. He'd already decided that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rapunzel, connection or no, and he was ready to do anything for her. Well…he'd figured out _that_ part when he decided he was willing to free her from Gothel rather than let her heal him. Dying for someone was pretty high on the list of 'Things That Show You've Totally Fallen Head Over Heels For a Girl.'

Once they were in the castle, Flynn put Rapunzel down again, though they both wished he didn't have to as they instinctively took hold of each other's hand and made their way to Rapunzel's-_their_, Flynn corrected himself-room. When they opened the door, they were surprised to find all the painting supplies that Rapunzel would ever need. With a cry of delight, the young Princess rushed into the room and began looking through all the different colors she now had at her disposal.

"I've never had so many colors!" she said happily, bending over some paint that was a beautiful rosy red. "I'll be able to paint so many different things now!"

Flynn grinned at her as she rushed around the room, spotting a ladder out of the corner of his eye. "Are you going to start now?" he asked, a teasing note to his voice. "I thought your feet were tired."

Rapunzel stuck her tongue out at him as she pulled the ladder over to the wall nearest the door to her balcony. "They aren't anymore, silly," she explained.

"Sure," Flynn chuckled. "I'll leave you to it, then. I'm a horrible painter," he explained when Rapunzel gave him a questioning look. "Besides, I want you to surprise me with what you paint."

That idea seemed to appeal to Rapunzel as she beamed down at him from her new perch on the ladder. "Okay!" she said happily. "I'll send Pascal when I'm ready for you to see what I've done."

Glancing over at the chameleon, who was currently sleeping on a cushion in front of the fireplace, Flynn nodded and left the room, hearing the sound of Rapunzel talking to herself all the way down the hall.

"It's going to be _beautiful_ Pascal! We'll be able to start all over again!"

Laughing softly under his breath, Flynn decided to start exploring the castle so he could start learning how to get around without Rapunzel pulling him along like some extra appendage of hers.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Fifteen

The paintings in the room now shared by Rapunzel and Eugene Fitzherbert were soon the favorite subject of discussion among the servants of the castle. All the maids who cleaned the Princess' room would dawdle at their tasks as much as they dared, simply to allow themselves more time to admire the colorful pictures. Not many of the servants really understood the significance of most of the paintings, but they certainly enjoyed talking about their various conjectures.

"Oh, Millie! Have you seen the Princess' latest painting? It's lovelier than the last one."

"What's this one about, Betsy?"

"It has that dashing Mr. Fitzherbert in it, of course. You know how all her pictures do. But it shows him and the Princess watching the lanterns from a boat on the river. So pretty. I spent almost ten minutes staring at it before Mrs. Bloom caught me at it!"

Such conversations became very common in the servant's quarters and the kitchens as Rapunzel continued to cover her walls with the story of her adventures with the dashing thief Flynn Rider. Personally, Flynn thought that the paintings were excellent, and not just because Rapunzel managed to get his nose exactly right. Rapunzel put a lot of feeling into her paintings, making them a lot nicer to look at than all the stuffy portraits that Flynn found hanging around the castle halls. Still, he didn't like one thing about the paintings; they kept Rapunzel so busy sometimes that the only way to get her to stop was when the twin pangs of discomfort in their chests started to make themselves known.

Of course, Flynn hadn't mentioned this to Rapunzel yet. She was so happy while she was painting, that he didn't want to sound like he was whining about her not paying attention to him. That didn't stop him from feeling neglected, of course. He'd been presumed dead for weeks, and then two days after he came back from the dead, Rapunzel was spending every moment she could _painting_. It hurt Flynn's ego a lot more than he'd let on to anyone, let alone Rapunzel, and it was starting to show in his behavior.

The queen was the first to notice, of course, and one morning after the now quite normal breakfast shared between the royal family and Flynn, she asked that he remain behind while Rapunzel and the king went on ahead. "I would like to have a word with you, Mr. Fitzherbert," she said gently, though there was no mistaking the command in her voice. She _was _the queen, after all. "Please…have a seat." Again, there was the commanding tone that made it feel both like you _had_ to do what she said and yet really _wanted_ to at the same time.

So, Flynn sat down obediently, feeling a little stupid about it as he waited for the queen to speak first. The door had already closed behind Rapunzel, and suddenly Flynn felt very trapped. He hadn't been alone with either the king or the queen yet in his time here, and it had been almost two weeks since he first arrived. It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to be around them; at least, not entirely. They were the king and queen, after all, and he was just a regular guy who happened to accidentally find their daughter. That and Flynn was always afraid the king would start threatening him if he ever had any reason to suspect that Flynn was taking advantage of Rapunzel.

"You've been out of sorts lately, Mr. Fitzherbert," the queen said after a very long moment of silence. "Might I ask why?"

There was no beating around the bush with this woman, Flynn thought to himself. He had to feel some grudging respect for the queen because of it. This was a woman who, even when her daughter was missing for eighteen years, could hold herself together and still make you feel like you had done something wrong by sulking.

"It's nothing important, Your Highness," Flynn mumbled sheepishly.

"That is just nonsense, Mr. Fitzherbert," the queen retorted, sounding an awful lot like Mrs. Miller, the woman who had run the orphanage where Flynn grew up. It was an almost scary comparison. "As you are now connected to my daughter, everything that affects you is something that will, by extension, affect Rapunzel. Now. Why have you been so-forgive me, but this is the only way I can describe it-sulky?"

Jeez, this lady could guilt-trip a man like it was no one's business! Flynn stared at the marble floor as though the patterns there suddenly held the secret to all life's mysteries as he answered. "Rapunzel…well, she's been awfully busy lately and I feel like…"

"You feel as though she isn't noticing you as much as she should."

How the hell did the queen _do_ that, Flynn thought to himself in awe, looking up in surprise. "Uh…" he said stupidly. "Y-yeah. How did you…?"

"I'm a woman, Mr. Fitzherbert. One thing that men never seem to understand," the queen said with a sarcastic twitch of her lips, "is that women are always observing everything around them. Even when we don't seem to be." She gave Flynn a pointed look that once more reminded him of Mrs. Miller. Only Mrs. Miller would give him that look over a pair of thick glasses, but the effect was still the same. "I understand why you feel this way, of course, but that does not mean you are right."

Flynn's ears felt very warm as he opened his mouth to argue and was cut off by the queen raising both a hand and a delicate eyebrow. It was like she was _daring_ him to try and interrupt her. Well, Flynn wasn't about to rise to _that_ challenge. Coughing self-consciously, he sat back in his seat like a boy being scolded for stealing the last cookie.

"As I say, Mr. Fitzherbert, you aren't entirely correct in this situation. Rapunzel is still a young girl, remember, and she doesn't understand a great deal. All due to that _woman_, of course." The way the queen said the word 'woman' made it sound like a horrible insult. "But we-my husband and I-are slowly trying to repair the damage done. If she becomes distracted and forgets to pay attention to you, it is not because she wishes to ignore you, it is because she's still so very childlike and doesn't _realize_ that you _want_ her to pay attention to you." Seemingly satisfied that she had said all she needed to, the queen rose to her feet and fixed Flynn with one last look. "Just remember that, Mr. Fitzherbert."

And so she swept out of the room like some sort of empress, leaving Flynn feeling as though he'd just been told that he was a stupid boy, but that was all right because all stupid boys grew up to be smart men someday. He didn't realize that his jaw had gone slack for a moment as he stared at the spot where the queen had been only a moment ago. Was she always this…well…queenly? It was rather disconcerting. No wonder Flynn hadn't wanted to be left alone in a room with her until now. She made him feel both insignificant and very important all at once, which was just weird.

Shaking his head in confusion, Flynn tried to sort through his thoughts when that attempt was interrupted by the dull ache building up in his chest. Had he really been away from Rapunzel for that long? These days it usually took an hour or so for the pain to begin setting in…oh, right. They hadn't been holding hands all through breakfast. A first for them. Grimacing a little, Flynn stood up and went in search of Rapunzel, the growing ache giving him a sense of urgency.

Much as he had expected, he found Rapunzel in her-_their_-room, standing in front of her latest painting. Her expression was one of slight discomfort, and Flynn mentally kicked himself for that. The minute he was in the room, Rapunzel flew towards him, throwing her arms around his neck, quite forgetting the paintbrush covered in wet paint that she held.

"What did Mother want to talk to you about?" she asked as she pulled away, smiling that sweet, innocent smile up at him.

Oh…yeah. Of _course_ Rapunzel would want to know about that right away. Wincing slightly, Flynn shrugged noncommittally. "Oh…nothing important," he said off-handedly. "What's this one going to be?"

That certainly distracted the young Princess. Glowing with pride, she grabbed hold of Flynn's hand and dragged him over to the next empty space on the wall that she was planning to attack with her paints. Speaking of paints…Flynn reached up to touch the back of his head, and his hand came away covered in white paint. Rolling his eyes a little, he picked up a towel and began trying to get the paint out of his hair as he followed Rapunzel.

"This one is going to be the night I found out you were alive," she explained. "I'm still trying to figure out how to do it, though…" She frowned thoughtfully, tapping the end of the paintbrush handle against her cheek. "What do you think, Eugene?"

She was seriously asking his opinion? Flynn glanced at the blank space on the wall for a moment before letting his mind wander back to that night. A silly grin crossed his face as he remembered how alive he'd felt hugging her tight. "Just paint what you remember, Blondie," he said as he wrapped an arm around her. "It'll be perfect."

Rapunzel beamed up at him as she considered his words. "Hmm…I think I'll start with Max and then save us for last. That was the best part."

Flynn had to agree to that assessment. The moment she had been in his arms was certainly Flynn's favorite memory in his life. "Great. That big troublemaker will like that he gets painted first," he teased, grinning lopsidedly at Rapunzel, who giggled.

Then she spotted the paint in his hair and looked very guilty. "Oh…your hair…" she said, gingerly reaching up to touch the still-wet paint. "I'm sorry, Eugene. I'll clean it up."

"You don't…" Flynn started to say as she brought over a bowl of water and a rag. He didn't get a chance to finish his protest as she dragged him over to a chair and forced him to sit down. There was a moment's pause as she looked at him as though he was a particularly difficult puzzle she had to put together.

"Take off your shirt," she finally ordered.

"What?" Flynn asked, stunned and speechless. She had a habit of doing that to him, though usually for other reasons than making such…odd orders. A few months ago, if she had asked him to take off his shirt, Flynn would have obeyed without a second's hesitation, making some quip about whether or not she liked what she saw. _Now_, though, he had a whole long list of reasons why he shouldn't do just that. At the very top of said list was "the king will kill me if he ever finds out."

"You heard me," Rapunzel repeated, using her 'Princess Glare' as Flynn called it. The one that _no one_ dared question, whether they were servants or the famous Flynn Rider.

Gulping nervously and nodding, Flynn obeyed, though he really didn't see why she wanted him to take his shirt off. Once his head was free of the fabric, he glanced up at Rapunzel and noticed she was blushing a deep crimson and avoiding his eyes. Some of the old Flynn Rider came through as he flashed her a dazzling grin. "Am I that pretty?" he teased.

Rapunzel managed a laugh as she swatted his bare arm playfully before walking around to stand behind him, wet rag in hand. "Just hold still," she instructed. "I didn't want to get your shirt wet," she added as an explanation for her earlier request.

Just as Flynn was about to say that she probably wouldn't get his shirt wet, he felt drops of water on his back and decided that this was one of those times when he should really just keep his mouth shut. So there he sat, shirtless and letting a Princess wash paint out of his hair like he was a little boy. Though, unlike when he was talking to the queen, this time Flynn didn't view the feeling of being treated like a kid in a bad way. If it was Rapunzel treating him that way, he could manage to live without a few extra sarcastic comments. Besides, her hands in his hair were rather soothing, despite the slight tugging every now and then when she found a bit of paint that had already dried.

Behind the reformed thief, Rapunzel forced herself to keep her eyes on the task at hand rather than on the very distracting sight of Eugene without a shirt on. She had never seen a man without his shirt on, even after Eugene came back and they started to share a room. A part of her had wondered at why this was the case, but Eugene didn't seem upset about it, and so she had never really thought too much about it. Now that she had seen him shirtless, though…Rapunzel felt sure she wouldn't be able to look at him the same way.

She had always known that Eugene was a handsome man. Even when she first saw him, having nothing to compare him to, she had been struck by just how good looking he was. Now that Rapunzel could compare him to other men's appearances, she was even more certain that he was the most handsome man in the kingdom, including her father. With his roguish grin and soft brown eyes, how could she not think that he was handsome? Rapunzel had been certain that she would never see anything that was better looking than her Eugene.

Now she knew that was a mistake. There was something better looking than Eugene, and that was Eugene without his shirt on. Blushing even more at that thought, her hands paused in the act of further cleaning one particularly difficult spot of paint from his hair. Glancing down at his bare back, she hastily returned her gaze to the back of his head. Finally, she was done, but she kept idly running her fingers through his hair and gazing down at his bare back.

He was well-built, though not too much so. Rapunzel had by now seen both extremes among the Royal Guards, and decided with a slight nod to herself that Eugene was possessed of the perfect amount of muscles under his slightly tanned skin. Timidly, she placed one hand on his shoulder and nearly gasped at the intense sensation that swept through both her and Eugene at the same moment. It was like the feeling they got when they held hands after being separated for too long, but so much more powerful than anything they had ever felt before. Hastily, she pulled her hand away in surprise and stared at her fingers, which were already losing the calluses from all her years of working in the tower, in wonder.

"What was that?" Flynn asked breathlessly, looking over his shoulder at Rapunzel. He had felt her gaze on him the whole time she was cleaning his hair, and when she touched his shoulder, it was like he had been washed over by a huge wave of feeling.

"I-I don't know," Rapunzel admitted, still staring at her hand as though it could tell her the answer. Her eyes met Eugene's and for a moment, they simply looked at one another, until her gaze traveled to his bare torso and she flushed a deep pink.

Flynn felt his own ears going pink, but he managed to give her his best grin. "Want me to put my shirt back on?" he asked.

Rapunzel didn't really want him too, but she was sure that her parents wouldn't be happy about her seeing Eugene without his shirt on, though she had no idea why. Nodding shyly, she kept her eyes averted until he gently tapped his finger against the bottom of her chin. Looking up at him with her green eyes wide, she managed a weak smile in response to his grin.

"Nothing for you to be ashamed about," he assured her as he tenderly kissed her forehead. "What's the plan for today?"

And so the short moment of embarrassment was quickly forgotten, and Flynn got what he had been wanting for a while; Rapunzel's undivided attention for the rest of the day.

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Author's Note: Wow! I never expected this story to reach fifteen chapters, and yet here I am and still no end in sight! I'm uploading this now so that I can spend New Year's Eve with my family. HAPPY 2011 EVERYBODY! Please keep reading and telling me what you think. And remember, _constructive_ criticism is always welcome.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Sixteen

Rapunzel was surprised to find that, after that brief moment when she was touching Eugene's bare shoulder, the pain took even longer to build up inside of her. That didn't stop her and Eugene from holding hands through most of the day, though. It was comforting and normal…something that Rapunzel felt they both needed after their odd experience that morning. When it came time for them to go to bed, Rapunzel felt suddenly very shy and nervous, and she had no idea why. As she sat on the bed already in her nightgown, she kicked her legs like a small child and watched Eugene shyly as he walked towards her.

"Hey, Blondie," he said with a smile, sitting down beside her and taking her hand in his. "What's wrong?"

Blushing slightly, Rapunzel didn't answer right away as she simply looked at him. "What happens now?" she finally asked, still blushing as she met his gaze. "After…what happened this morning."

Oh, right, Flynn thought to himself. Of course she was thinking about that. Flynn had been thinking about it all day, too. Gently wrapping his arm around her and bending to kiss her forehead, Flynn sighed thoughtfully. "I don't know," he admitted. "We felt better after it, though…so I think that we should try…"

"Sleeping together, but without your shirt on?" Rapunzel asked in a rush, meeting his gaze curiously.

"Yeah," Flynn replied lamely, smiling sheepishly down at her.

She met his gaze with perfect innocence in her eyes, not knowing why it would be improper or why her parents would disapprove. The look she gave him, full of trust and affection, made Flynn want very much to kiss her, but he settled for kissing her forehead. Unlike the other flings Flynn had in his life, this was something special, and he wasn't going to ruin it by rushing Rapunzel.

"I won't do anything you don't want me too, though," he promised her, his lips still pressed against her forehead. "It's up to you."

For a moment, Rapunzel glanced down at their joined hands, thinking. Finally, she looked up at him with her eyes full of determination. "I think we should at least try," she said timidly. "See…see what happens."

With the way she was looking at him, Flynn couldn't say no to her. Even though he knew that if he wasn't careful the king would probably tear him apart, Flynn felt confident that with Rapunzel there beside him, nothing could be too bad. Smiling lovingly at her as he gently ran a hand through her hair, Flynn nodded his understanding before tugging off his shirt. Once it was off, there was a very long pause. He could tell that Rapunzel was looking at him, admiring what she saw, but neither of them mentioned this for a moment or two.

"We should…get in bed," Flynn finally said, coughing self-consciously. Now since when had he, Flynn Rider, ever been self-conscious? Probably since about the time he first met Rapunzel and his "smolder" hadn't worked on her.

Rapunzel nodded, her eyes still fixed on his bare chest, which really wasn't helping how nervous Flynn suddenly felt. After another moment, they both climbed under the covers and lay down facing one another, but still not touching. It looked like Rapunzel was too nervous to come close right now, so Flynn decided he would have to make the first move. Pulling her close, he wrapped his arms around her and they both gasped at the new sensation as their chests filled with a sense of fulfillment unlike anything their connection had caused them to feel before.

"I…I think I like this," Rapunzel finally said after a moment, resting her cheek against Flynn's chest and wrapping her arms around him, her hands pressed against his back.

"Me too, Blondie," Flynn murmured, resting his head against hers and holding her close. "Or are you just saying that you wanted to see me without my shirt again?" he teased with a grin. Rapunzel's answer to this was muffled as she buried her face against his chest. Flynn could feel how warm her face had gotten and chuckled low in his throat at this, gently rubbing her back. "I'm just teasing," he assured her.

She pulled back enough to make a face at him. "I know _that_," she said with a roll of her eyes. "You tease too much."

This earned a hearty laugh from Flynn, interrupted by the sound of Pascal's little growl-if you could call it a growl. Did lizards growl?-of disapproval. Looking up at the bed's headboard, Flynn managed to give the chameleon a charming smile. Pascal did not look at all amused by this as he curled up to sleep on top of the headboard, his eyes still fixed on Flynn.

"I don't think your frog likes me," Flynn said as he looked back down at Rapunzel.

"Chameleon," Rapunzel corrected out of habit. "And he likes you just fine," she added a little sleepily.

"Then what's with the death glare?" Flynn challenged.

"Mmm…" Rapunzel murmured as her eyes fluttered closed. "He's just jealous that I pay more attention to you now…"

Her voice trailed off with a yawn and in the next moment, she was fast asleep. Flynn was also tired, but he remained wide awake for a little while to just admire Rapunzel. She really was a beauty, though she didn't seem to understand that fact. That Gothel really had done a number on Rapunzel's self-confidence, but with Flynn's help, Rapunzel was starting to get over all the poisonous lies Gothel had fed her for years. Smiling softly at the sleeping Princess, Flynn gently pressed a kiss to her forehead and, after a moment's hesitation, brushed his lips against hers for a brief moment before allowing himself to also fall asleep.

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Granny sat back in her favorite chair that was situated just in front of her large fireplace, her knitting still in her hands as she rocked her chair back and forth. From what she had observed in her short visit to the palace, all was going well with Rapunzel and Flynn. All they needed was a little time, and perhaps a bit of patience on the side of the former thief, and all would be well. That they would marry, Granny was certain. After all, the two children loved each other dearly, though Flynn had a far clearer idea of what he felt for Rapunzel than the little Princess had about her own feelings for the man who had saved her life. Still, everything would turn out for the best, one way or another.

A slightly triumphant smile crossed Granny's lips as she thought about this, her rocking continuing with a soothing creaking sound accompanying each backwards movement of the chair. Yes…everything would work out just fine. Just fine.

That was when the flames in the fireplace leapt up suddenly, as though a gust of air had hit the flames, but no door or window had been opened. Sitting up sharply, Granny looked around her in mild panic before shaking her head and assuring herself that it was just the wind coming down the chimney. Nothing to worry about. Or was it?

Once more, the flames leapt and danced in an agitated manner. This time Granny rose to her feet and looked around for the cause of this. Perhaps it was some sort of spirit. Witches' houses always had at least one spirit, malevolent or otherwise. Why, Granny's first little cottage had been haunted by the ghost of an old farmer who used to live there. He had turned out to be a very nice fellow, and often kept Granny company on the more lonely nights. But he had moved to the other side only a few years after Granny first discovered him, leaving her alone once more. That must be what was causing the fire to leap like that. Just another lonely spirit.

But it wasn't a spirit. That became evident after a few moments as Granny stared fixedly at the flames. They weren't flickering constantly, as a fire would if a spirit were present. There was magic. Dark magic. And it was coming towards Corona. With a quick flick of her wrist, the old woman put out the fire and then made her way out of the cottage. Her family had to know about this, and sooner rather than later.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Seventeen

Flynn woke to the feeling of being closely watched. Opening his eyes slowly, he glanced up at the headboard first, and was pleased to see that Pascal was still fast asleep. That meant that there was someone else in the room. Propping himself up on one elbow, one arm still resting over Rapunzel's waist, Flynn looked around curiously until he saw the intruder. Not again, he thought with a groan.

"Why can't you use the door like a normal person?" he asked in a low voice. "Or even, I don't know, wait until normal people are awake?"

Granny met his gaze without blinking, though if Flynn wasn't mistaken, she did look very amused by his questions. That only made Flynn feel a great deal more dislike directed at the old woman. Narrowing his eyes dangerously, Flynn adjusted himself so that he could sit up without waking Rapunzel before saying anything else.

"What is it this time?" he asked, one hand resting on the top of Rapunzel's head. "Because it better be good to wake me up like this."

"Not good, sadly," Granny said in a low voice. "But you and Rapunzel both need to hear this, along with her parents. I simply came to tell you this before I went to get the king and queen. Oh…" she added as she stood up and walked to the door. "I'd put on a shirt, if I were you."

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Rapunzel was still waking up when she and Eugene reached the library, where her parents and some mysterious old woman waited for them. Eugene hadn't explained much when he woke her up, simply saying that they had to meet with her parents. Hiding a yawn behind one hand, she leaned against Eugene and closed her eyes for a moment. She really was still very tired, though not in the aching way she had been just yesterday morning. Smiling sleepily up at Eugene as he opened the library door for her, Rapunzel entered the room in front of him before coming to a sudden stop.

At first, the sight of the old woman reminded her of Gothel's last moments, and fear clenched at Rapunzel's heart for a moment. Only when she felt Eugene's arms around her and heard his whispered reassurance did she let the feeling of suspicion and fear subside ever so slightly. Not entirely, but it was better than before. Looking up at Eugene, Rapunzel gave him a questioning look, her hands tightly gripping his.

"Rapunzel…" Eugene said slowly, his mouth close to her ear. "This is Granny, the woman who brought me back."

Instantly, Rapunzel's expression changed to a beaming smile of welcome. "Oh! Thank you!" she cried happily, rushing forward to hug the old woman impulsively.

For a moment, neither Flynn nor Granny knew what to do in response to this. Finally, Granny slowly wrapped her arms around the girl and hugged her back before pulling away in a very business-like manner. "You're welcome, child," she said kindly. "Though I honestly don't understand how he hasn't driven you mad by now."

"Hey!" Flynn cried in protest. "I'm standing right here!"

Rapunzel giggled softly at this and moved to take Eugene's hand in hers once more, beaming up at him lovingly. "He's easy to get along with," she said, more to Eugene than to Granny.

It did make Flynn feel better, but not for long, as they were soon joined by the king and queen, who had been standing by the window, speaking to one another in low whispers. Both of them looked worn and tired, as if they hadn't slept all night. Maybe they hadn't, Flynn thought with a frown. What was it that could make the king and queen look so worried? Glancing down at Rapunzel, Flynn guided her to one of the many chairs waiting for them and sat down beside her.

"So what's wrong?" he asked once the king and queen had sat down as well, leaving only Granny standing.

"Something is coming," Granny said after a long moment. "Something dark, and I think it is coming for you two," she added, pointing at Rapunzel and Flynn with a serious expression.

"Us?" both Flynn and Rapunzel demanded in shock, looking at one another as though the other had the answer.

"Why would it be coming for us?" Flynn asked, tightening his hold on Rapunzel's hand slightly. "Gothel's dead. She can't come after us."

"Physically, yes," Granny said reluctantly. "But…there are other ways to survive death than what I did to save you, Eugene Fitzherbert. Spirits are very resilient, and can often find ways to continue on, even when the body has died."

Rapunzel's eyes widened in fear as she looked up at Eugene, her face losing much of its color as the blood drained away. "It's Gothel's spirit?" she asked in a low, weak voice.

"I'm not sure who or what it is," Granny said, gently placing a hand on top of Rapunzel's head and stroking the girl's hair. "What I do know is that now more than ever, the two of you need to be safe. Never let one another out of your sight. If it is a spirit, then it won't try to possess one of you if the other is always present. That may not be the case, though…for all I know, I could have simply felt a very powerful spell instead of a presence. I won't know for sure until more time passes. But I _promise _you," Granny added, taking one of Rapunzel's hands in hers and meeting the girl's eyes with a determined look, "that I will do everything to keep both of you safe."

Both Rapunzel and Eugene smiled weakly at Granny before Rapunzel hugged Eugene tight, snuggling against him with fear still in her eyes. Eugene gently rubbed her back and sighed heavily, resting his head on top of hers.

"It'll be fine, Blondie," he said gently. "I promise."

Both the king and queen didn't look like they quite believed Eugene's words, but they did manage to pretend to for their daughter's sake. Their hands were tightly gripping one another as they met Granny's gaze in fear.

"Is there anything that you can do to at least…ensure further security for them?" the queen asked in a low voice, looking pleading. "Please…"

"I can try," Granny said with a sigh. "It will be difficult to do if I don't know what I'm trying to protect them against, but…I will certainly try." She looked at Rapunzel and Eugene with a sigh. "I will try."

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It was almost painful for Rapunzel to leave Eugene that day for her lessons, but her parents had insisted that she do so. Eugene would be keeping himself quite busy, according to her father, though Rapunzel couldn't begin to guess how. So here she was, sitting in the library with her language tutor, unable to focus on the various Latin words he was trying to drill into her head. Her mind was with Eugene and the mysterious Granny.

The old woman seemed…almost familiar, though that was simply ridiculous. Rapunzel had never seen Granny before in her life. And yet the sensation that she knew the old woman remained, despite all of Rapunzel's arguments against it.

A slight tug at her sleeve pulled Rapunzel out of her thoughts, and she smiled as she saw Pascal looking up at her in concern. "I'm fine, Pascal," she whispered reassuringly. "Just…thinking."

The chameleon didn't seem to believe her, and Rapunzel couldn't really blame him. She didn't feel fine. Far from it, actually. She was scared of whatever it was that Granny had sensed, and she hated that fear. For years Gothel had manipulated her into fearing the outside world so that she would never go out into it. Rapunzel had thought that she had gotten over the fear, but it seemed that she hadn't. Sighing heavily, the young Princess turned her mind back to her lesson with great difficulty.

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Flynn knew how to fight. He'd managed to keep himself alive for a long time, after all, even when he was dodging arrows shot at him by soldiers or facing sword-wielding horses with only a frying pan. At least, that's what he had thought, but apparently he didn't know enough about fighting to satisfy the king or Granny. Since when had they been responsible for deciding if he was fit for anything anyway? Probably since the time he came back to life, he thought darkly.

"So…you want me to learn how to use a sword…against someone who might be a spirit, but _definitely_ has a lot of magic?" he asked, rather stupidly, when he was alone with the king and Granny. "And what about Rapunzel? Even after what you did to help with the pain, it starts up after a while."

Granny made a slight face at that and sighed. "Well…then she's going to have to have her lessons near where you're training, because she can't let this disrupt her usual schedule too much. We don't want to have people panicking and thinking that they will lose their Princess so soon after getting her back again, after all. That would be a disaster."

The king nodded his agreement with this and sighed a little. "We'll do what we can to make this easier for Rapunzel, but Gr-my mother and I are very much agreed in this matter. While it is admirable that you have been so successful in all your challenges so far, it is best to at least prepare for something that you could fight."

Flynn had to admit, that made some sense to him. Not a lot, but some. Even if a sword probably couldn't hurt the spirit or magic or whatever that was coming for them, it would make Flynn feel a hell of a lot better knowing that Rapunzel and he had something tangible and sharp within reach each night. Sighing in defeat, he agreed to take the lessons, though he really didn't see _why_ he had to, as he had enough knowledge of swordsmanship to get the right end into his attacker when push came to shove. When he explained this to the king, though, the older man gave him a look of pity. What was _that_ about?

He found out when he met the man who would be teaching him swordsmanship. While this Master Thomas _looked_ old and frail, in about two minutes flat, he had Flynn on his back wondering how he had gotten in that position.

This was going to be a very difficult skill to learn, it seemed.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Eighteen

Flynn was actually surprised to find out that Rapunzel was in full agreement with her father about his taking swordsmanship lessons. And a little insulted, if he was perfectly honest. "This from you?" he had asked in shock. "You're the one who was running around wielding a deadly frying pan!"

She simply looked at him, her large green eyes filled with the same determination he had seen when she swore to him that she never broke a promise. "I know that," she said in a quiet voice, never moving her eyes from his. "But a frying pan won't scare whatever's coming after us."

"It will if it's _you_ holding it," Flynn muttered under his breath before adding, louder, "And a sword will?"

"Maybe," Rapunzel said with a shrug. "We don't know anything specific yet, Eugene. So maybe you should just give it a try." Then she pulled out her secret weapon, widening her eyes and giving him one of those heart-melting smiles he loved so much. "For me?"

That…was just not fair. She _knew_ that Flynn couldn't deny her anything when she gave him that look. Sighing dramatically as he attempted to keep some of his dignity, Flynn gave her a look that said he knew exactly what she was playing at. "Oh, fine," he muttered, though he didn't feel as huffy as he acted. "I'll do it for you, but I still think it's stupid."

That earned him a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek from Rapunzel before she settled quite comfortably on his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. How could Flynn stay mad at her when she was so cute and irresistible? Simple answer: he couldn't. Smiling fondly down at the girl in his arms, Flynn gently rubbed her back.

"We'll be fine, Rapunzel," he said seriously. "I just know it. I mean…if Granny could bring me back, I'm sure she can take care of whatever's out there."

His words sounded a little flat to him, but they made Rapunzel smile, and that was what mattered most. Holding her closer to him, Flynn sighed a little and glanced up at where Pascal rested on the headboard, giving him the evil eye.

"Oh, stop it," Flynn said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not that bad." Apparently the chameleon was not of the same opinion, as Pascal simply made a sound of disapproval and eyed Flynn's hands pointedly where they were resting on Rapunzel's back. Flynn rolled his eyes again. "Stupid frog," he mumbled.

"Chameleon," Rapunzel corrected with a soft laugh. "He's just protective, Eugene."

"He can go protect something else for a bit," Flynn retorted. "I'm taking care of you now."

Rapunzel beamed up at him when he said this and for a moment, they simply gazed lovingly at one another. Flynn couldn't help but glance down at her lips, but he quickly forced himself to look her in the eye again. Ever since he had come back, he had gone out of his way to make sure that he didn't rush Rapunzel into anything. Sighing a little, Flynn gently rested his forehead against hers and smiled fondly at her.

"So how are your lessons going?" he asked.

"Oh! I love most of them," Rapunzel said with a beaming smile. "Though not philosophy," she added, making a face. "I don't understand most of that, anyway. But Granny said that I get to take my lessons outside to watch you learn how to use a sword. I'm excited about that."

Flynn felt a wide grin crossing his face and took one of her hands in his, bringing the back of her hand to his lips. "Glad you're so eager to see me get sliced up," he teased with a chuckle.

"You won't get sliced up," Rapunzel scolded, squeezing his hand. "I heard that Master Thomas is the best swordsman in the kingdom. He'll teach you everything you need to know."

"Sure he will," Flynn said sarcastically. "Right after he cuts me up in nice little pieces."

Rapunzel seemed to decide that it would be pointless to argue with him about this and simply snuggled up against him, tucking her head under his chin and listening to his heartbeat. Flynn had to admit, this was much better than any argument he and Rapunzel might have, whether or not it was in jest. Closing his eyes and simply enjoying being close to her, Flynn didn't notice that Rapunzel had fallen asleep until she began snoring softly.

This surprised him at first. He hadn't noticed that Rapunzel snored in all the time he had been at the palace. Though…now that he thought about it, he was usually fast asleep at the same time as Rapunzel, because they were both exhausted from the strain of being apart, even with the help Granny's spell had given them. Smiling a little at this thought, Flynn looked down at Rapunzel and had to admit that she looked perfectly adorable when she was asleep, snoring and all. Standing up carefully, after some shifting around so that he was carrying Rapunzel in his arms, Flynn walked over to the bed and gently placed Rapunzel there, tucking the covers around her as he went about getting ready for bed.

"'Night, Blondie," he murmured as he slipped into the bed beside Rapunzel, pulling her close so that she was pressed against his chest.

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The next morning, Flynn stood leaning against the wall of the courtyard where his swordsmanship lessons would take place, his expression resembling something like a thundercloud. This was the last place in the world he wanted to be, especially with Rapunzel watching. Oh, he'd put on a-sorta-brave face the night before, but now, the last thing he wanted was for Rapunzel to watch him make a fool of himself. He knew how to stab with a sword, but that was about it. This Master Thomas had already proven how good he was, so Flynn was far from eager to face him again.

Rapunzel currently sat on a bench with her Drawing Master, an easel in front of her as she glanced over at Flynn every now and then, smiling at him reassuringly. A part of Flynn was curious to see what she was drawing, but the rest of him was of the mindset that if he stayed still enough, maybe old Master Thomas wouldn't notice him standing there.

That hope didn't last long as the old man walked right up to Flynn and gave him a piercing look. "You've got potential, Rider, I'll give you that."

For a moment, Flynn was too surprised by this statement to say anything. The last time he'd seen this old man was when Master Thomas demanded he show what he knew about sword fighting the day before. Other than that, the old man hadn't said anything to him. "Uh…" Flynn stammered. "It's…it's Fitzherbert, actually…"

Old Thomas arched an eyebrow before shrugging his thin shoulders. "Rider, Fitzherbert, I don't care either way, so long as you answer me."

"Yessir," Flynn found himself saying, much to his surprise.

"Good," Thomas said with a nod. "Now come on, Rider."

Flynn was about to correct the old man again, but thought better of it as he walked past Rapunzel, giving her a look that said 'What just happened?' Her only answer was to smile winningly at him before she went back to whatever she was drawing, Pascal peeking out from his spot on her shoulder. Sighing with the air of a martyr, Flynn kept close behind his new teacher. This wasn't going to be very fun. He could tell.

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Author's Note: Just a quick chapter with a bunch of mindless fluff to keep my fans tided over until I can whip up something more substantial. Thank you all so much for your support of this story! Don't forget to review!


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Nineteen

The room was almost pitch black as the young woman entered, having paid the landlord of the small tavern handsomely to not ask any questions. Her entire body was wrapped in a thick black cloak with the hood pulled down low over her face, obscuring her features, despite the efforts of the landlord to see who she was. Once she was in the room, the young woman closed and locked the door behind her before reaching up to pull away her hood.

She was very darkly beautiful, with raven-black hair that fell to her waist in soft waves and piercing brown eyes that were so dark they could easily be mistaken for black themselves. Her complexion was lily-white and almost translucent, which sharply contrasted with how red her lips were.

Ensuring that the door was firmly locked, along with the windows, the young woman reached under her cloak and brought out a strange mirror, placing it on the table in front of her. It wasn't very remarkable, as mirrors went. Just barely large enough to show a grown person's full face and neck, it was surrounded by a very drab frame of ebony wood, which had been polished until it was almost as reflective as the glass. Sitting down in front of the mirror, the young woman pulled off her cloak, revealing a black dress that clung to her figure rather like a second skin. Idly tapping her fingernails against the tabletop, the woman looked around once more before she stared into the mirror.

"Show yourself," she said in a deep, commanding voice.

The glass of the mirror shimmered like water in moonlight for a moment before a face appeared, but it was not a reflection of the young woman's face. Instead, it was the face of a much older woman who stared back, looking very murderous about something.

"You've aged since we last spoke," the young woman said with an arch of her eyebrows.

"And you've simply gotten more impertinent," the face in the mirror retorted. "Tell me what you have learned, Isabelle."

The young woman sniffed in disdain before she spoke. "What information I could gather may not be entirely accurate. I think you ought to know that before I say anything further."

"Yes, yes, just tell me what you know!"

Isabelle smirked a little at the mirror woman's reaction. "The Princess Rapunzel has been returned to the kingdom to much rejoicing, as I'm sure you guessed would happen. But there is something that will interest you more…Flynn Rider is alive."

The face in the mirror contorted with rage and disbelief. "Impossible! He cut her hair before she could heal him, there is no way that he can be alive!"

"Nevertheless, he _is_ alive, and living in the palace," Isabelle continued. "There are even rumors that they will be married in the near future. I've seen the two of them together, and I can honestly say that I believe there is something behind these rumors."

"If that happens, then Rapunzel is of no use to us!" the mirror face snarled. "But that won't happen anytime soon. She is too naïve for marriage. We must strike fast, though, in case anything comes up."

"As you wish, Mother Gothel," Isabelle said with a slight sneer in her words. "As you wish."

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"Ow! Be gentle with me, Blondie! Remember, I'm a wounded man!"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes a little at Eugene's behavior as she softly massaged his shoulders and neck. He had come out of his first lesson with Master Thomas stiff and sore, and so Rapunzel had ordered that he sit down and take off his shirt at once. She had been rubbing at the sore muscles for the last few minutes, and the contact between them seemed to help ease Eugene's pain, despite his loud protests.

"Ergh…" Flynn muttered through gritted teeth as Rapunzel's skilled fingers found one of his many bruises. "Who knew an old man could be so spry?"

"I'm not surprised," Rapunzel replied with a smile, gently reaching up with one hand to run her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner. "He _is_ the best swordsman in the kingdom, after all. My father wouldn't let someone who was less than the best teach you anyway."

"Somehow, I'm not really sure I buy that," Flynn muttered under his breath, though he did relax considerably when he felt Rapunzel's fingers in his hair. "I don't get the feeling that your dad likes me very much. He keeps giving me these looks…" Of course, Flynn knew exactly _why_ he was getting those looks from the king. After all, he had gotten those same looks from several other fathers in all different walks of life.

"That's not true," Rapunzel scolded, once more massaging his shoulders. "He likes you, and so does my mother."

Well, that he could buy. With all the advice the queen had given him, Flynn got the feeling that she was hoping he'd come through all this all right and keep making Rapunzel happy. That at least made him feel better about all the stuff he had to put up with from the king's end of things.

For several more minutes, they were both silent, simply enjoying the contact between them as Rapunzel's fingers found all the stiff parts in Flynn's neck, shoulders, and back. Flynn almost closed his eyes completely as he let his muscles slowly relax, until he caught sight of something. He hadn't noticed it before, but hanging on one of the walls near Rapunzel's wardrobe, was the same small flag that he had purchased for her on her birthday. Sitting up straighter as he looked at it, Flynn glanced over his shoulder at Rapunzel, who was staring at nothing in particular.

"You kept it?" he asked quietly.

"Hmm?" Rapunzel asked as she snapped back into reality and met Flynn's gaze.

"That," Flynn said, nodding at the flag. "You kept it?"

Rapunzel looked at the flag in question and a soft blush crossed her face as she nodded. "It was the only thing I had left to remind me of you…besides my hair," she explained quietly. "I wanted something that I could keep with me. And then when you came back…I still wanted to remember all we did that day, so I just let it stay there."

She gave Flynn a slightly nervous look, as if she expected him to say she had been silly and to laugh at her. For a moment, Flynn felt a surge of anger directed at Gothel for making Rapunzel so unsure of herself before he grinned up at her, taking one of her hands in his.

"I'm glad you did," he said gently. "While I was with Granny…I didn't have anything to remind me of that day. So, I'm glad that you had something."

A bright smile crossed Rapunzel's face as she bent down to kiss Flynn's cheek, her eyes glowing with delight and affection. "Thank you," she said fondly.

Once more, Flynn felt the overwhelming urge to kiss her properly, but reined that desire in. Like the queen had said, Rapunzel was still a kid in a lot of ways. She probably didn't know what a real kiss even _was_ anyway. Instead, he satisfied himself with giving her fingers a squeeze before turning his gaze back to the flag and letting her continue massaging him.

When she had finished, Rapunzel walked around Flynn until she could sit on his lap and gently rest her head on his shoulder. They seemed to be getting into this position more and more, though Flynn wasn't about to complain anytime soon. Maybe it was the connection's fault, but a part of Flynn was sure that even without the strange bond between them, he and Rapunzel would have gotten this close to each other on their own. She was naturally affectionate, and he _was_ madly in love with her by now, after all.

"Do you really think it could be Gothel?" Rapunzel asked after a minute, her voice shaking a little with what sounded to Flynn like fear.

"Hey," he said gently, taking her chin in his hand and tilting her head back so that she could meet his gaze. "Even if it _is_ Gothel, which I really don't think it is, nothing is going to happen to you. I'm right here, and nothing's getting past me. I promise, Rapunzel."

A weak smile crossed her face as he used her full name and she gently wrapped her arms around his neck as she rested her forehead against his. "Thank you," she said softly, meeting his gaze fondly. "I know you won't let anything happen to me."

Her face was _awfully_ close to his, Flynn thought vaguely as he gave Rapunzel another charming grin. "That's what reformed thieves do," he said with a shrug. "We keep pretty ladies safe."

There was another silence before Rapunzel pulled back, blushing a little, and made her way to the bed. "You're probably tired," she said with a smile. "We should get some sleep."

Sleep. Yes. Sleep was good. Flynn walked over to the bed eagerly, his entire body very ready to sink onto the feather mattress and forget all the abuse Master Thomas had put him through. Lying down with a sigh of relief, Flynn closed his eyes and felt the mattress sink down slightly to his right as Rapunzel also climbed into bed. Out of habit, they both turned towards one another as Rapunzel moved to snuggle against Flynn's chest, her arms wrapping around him at the exact moment that Flynn did the same for her, holding her close to his body.

"Good night, Eugene," she said softly, her head tucked under Flynn's chin.

"'Night, Blondie," Flynn replied, kissing her forehead. Then, he sighed a little as he whispered against her skin, "I love you."

There was silence for a moment, and Flynn wondered if Rapunzel had even heard him before she whispered back, "I love you, too."

Smiling a little-okay…a _lot_-Flynn kissed her forehead again as his eyes fluttered closed. They remained in this position, holding one another tight throughout the night, Rapunzel moving even closer to Flynn as she slept.

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Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to get this up! I was out of town over the weekend. Anyway…the plot thickens! Enjoy and review!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Twenty

Granny was not used to being confused. She really didn't like the feeling, if she was perfectly honest. But for some reason, ever since she had found Flynn Rider dead in a tower and learned who he was to her grandchild, there had been surprise after surprise. First how weak the boy was when he first came back, then the connection with Rapunzel, and now _this_. Honestly…didn't whoever was up there have something _better_ to do than taunting her with one problem after another? Apparently not, since now she had to figure out who was trying to harm her little granddaughter.

That was not something Granny enjoyed doing. She had enjoyed her quiet life in the forest, alone except for the occasional animal visitor to keep her company when she needed it. Ever since the death of her husband, the last king, she had become used to being alone. Not that she and Edmund had ever been really close, that is. Theirs was an arranged marriage, which was why she had been in full support of her son William marrying young Eleanor. Now there was this Eugene Fitzherbert that Rapunzel was determined to keep around, no matter what happened.

Of course, there would probably be problems with the young Princess marrying a commoner, but there would be hell to pay if anyone stepped too far out of line about it. The Princess had a right to marry the man who had rescued her, after all, and Granny was going to see to that.

Right after she made whoever was terrorizing her home pay for all the problems they had caused her.

Did these people think magic was a game or something that grew on trees? Granny was going to certainly have a few words with this new menace very soon, if she had anything to say about it.

Unfortunately, that would have to wait for now. There hadn't been anything else since Granny first felt that overwhelming presence, and she wasn't about to go jinxing shadows without having a reason to. Not just yet, at least.

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Rapunzel sat up in bed, smiling down at Eugene, who was still fast asleep beside her, his hair tousled and sticking up in some places. Even though they didn't move around as much in their sleep anymore, somehow his hair still managed to look like he had been tossing and turning all night. It was cute, Rapunzel thought with a slight chuckle to herself as she reached down to smooth his hair back. Her fingers paused in this action when he stirred slightly, but Eugene soon settled again and Rapunzel resumed stroking his hair. Her expression turned thoughtful as she watched Eugene's face closely, though she couldn't begin to think why she was.

Perhaps it had to do with what he had said to her the night before. He had said that he loved her.

Rapunzel knew that she loved her new parents, much more than she had loved Gothel, and she knew that she was always happy when Eugene was around, and not just because his presence meant that she wasn't in anymore pain. Something about seeing him enter a room just filled her with this pleasantly dizzying feeling of happiness. Was that what it meant to be in love with someone? Rapunzel frowned thoughtfully before she decided she should ask her mother about it. Glancing at the window, she nodded to herself when she saw how light it was. Her mother would certainly be up and in the gardens by now.

Slipping out of bed after gently kissing Eugene's forehead, Rapunzel slipped into one of her simpler dresses and padded out of her room, careful to not wake Pascal as she opened the door slowly. She didn't want the chameleon following her around just now. As much as she loved Pascal, Rapunzel just wanted to talk to her mother alone right now.

As Rapunzel had expected, she found her mother walking through the royal segment of the gardens, where only she was permitted to tend to the plants growing there. This was the only time of day when Rapunzel could find her mother dressed in anything other than her beautiful silk gowns. Smiling to herself as she spotted her mother, Rapunzel walked over and sat down on one of the many benches in the gardens. The queen glanced at her with a smile and dusted off her hands on the thick apron she wore.

"Good morning, dear," she greeted. "And what brings you here at this early hour of the morning?"

"I wanted to ask you something," Rapunzel admitted, blushing a little as she did so.

Arching an eyebrow at this, the queen sat down beside her daughter and gently took Rapunzel's hand in hers. "You can ask me anything, dear," she said with a gentle smile. "That is what it means to be a loving mother, after all."

Frowning a little in confusion at this revelation, Rapunzel pondered this for a moment before she spoke again. "I don't know…but when I'm with Eugene…I feel all warm and tingly, and I don't know what it is…" She looked up at her mother in confusion, silently begging for some explanation.

Ah…the queen sighed a little and reached up to gently stroke her daughter's hair as she thought of the best way to go about explaining this. That her daughter was falling in love with Eugene Fitzherbert, she was certain. But there was so much Rapunzel didn't understand about being in love, or even what happened between men and women who were in love with one another. Sighing again, the queen smiled a little at her daughter.

"You're in love, dearest," she said softly. "I expected this when he came back, but I didn't expect it to take this long."

Rapunzel's eyes widened a little in surprise before a soft blush crossed her cheeks. Meeting her mother's gaze with curious green eyes, she idly ran her fingers through her hair. "But…what does that _mean_?" she asked in a soft voice.

The queen sighed a little at this and stood up. "I think this is a discussion for a more private area than the gardens, dear," she said softly. "Come with me."

Standing up with a curious look, Rapunzel followed her mother into the castle, wondering what this new conversation would be about.

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Flynn woke up with a start, realizing that he was alone in bed, something that was a little unusual these days. Sitting up and glancing around, he spotted Rapunzel sitting curled up in her armchair beside the fireplace. He started to smile, but the smile disappeared when he saw the look on Rapunzel's face. Standing up and walking over to stand beside her, Flynn noticed that her entire face was flushed in embarrassment. What had she been up to while he was still asleep anyway?

"Morning, Blondie," he greeted softly.

To his surprise, Rapunzel gave a start at the sound of his voice and looked up at him in surprise before smiling weakly back at him. "Good morning, Eugene," she said softly. "Did I wake you up?"

"Nah," Flynn assured her, feeling very confused at this point. "How long've you been up anyway?"

She shrugged slightly and looked back at the fireplace. "Not long. I was talking with my mother."

Ah. But…what had they been talking about to make Rapunzel look so embarrassed? Sitting down in the other chair in front of the fireplace, Flynn leaned forward and reached out to take her hand in his. "What were you talking about?" he asked with a slight smile, hoping to make her feel a little bit better. That didn't work. Her face instantly became a much darker red than before. Maybe Flynn should ask the queen instead. "Nevermind," he assured her. "Let's go to breakfast."

That at least made her feel a little better, as she stood up quickly and began tugging him towards the door.

Breakfast was much more awkward than their first meal with her parents, much to Flynn's surprise. He just couldn't pin down _why_ it was. Glancing at the queen, Flynn arched a questioning eyebrow at her, but he didn't get any answer just then. After the meal had finished, Flynn allowed Rapunzel to go on ahead of him, saying that he wanted to talk to her mother for a little. Once that was dealt with, he turned to look at the queen.

"So…what exactly did you and Rapunzel talk about this morning?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

The queen smiled a little as she glanced at the door after Rapunzel's retreating figure. "I simply explained a few things to her," she said vaguely. "Specifically some things that I think you should be very familiar with, Flynn Rider."

Comprehension hit Flynn rather harshly and he felt his entire face heating up as he blushed deep crimson. Oh…so _that_ was what had made Rapunzel feel so embarrassed this morning. Glancing at the queen one last time, he went after Rapunzel. There were a few things he had to clear up for her.

He found Rapunzel in their room, sitting on the enormous bed with her legs crossed and a book resting on her lap. Smiling to himself at this, Flynn moved over to sit down on the bed beside her. "Hey," he said quietly. "I was just talking to your mother."

She looked up at him with a blush and then glanced at the book again. "What did she say?" she asked in a small voice.

"She told me what you talked about this morning," Flynn said softly, resting a hand on her knee. "You don't have to be embarrassed, you know, Blondie." He smiled sheepishly when she met his gaze and moved his hand so that it held hers. "Everything she told you about…We don't have to go that far until you want us to."

Rapunzel stared at their hands for a moment before she spoke. "But…the way mother explained it…I want that to happen for us."

Flynn felt his heart lift when she said that and smiled a little. "I'm glad you think so," he said with a chuckle. "But, really, I'm willing to wait." He paused for a moment and then leaned forward, gently reaching up to tilt her head back slightly. "Though…I do want to try one thing."

As Rapunzel met his gaze, her green eyes grew a little wider before she nodded slightly. Smiling a little at her, Flynn leaned closer and softly pressed his lips against hers. Rapunzel made a soft sound of surprise, causing Flynn to freeze slightly, but not to pull back. Staying perfectly still, he waited as Rapunzel grew used to this. After a moment or two, Rapunzel gently kissed him back, her hands reaching forward to grip his shirt as she did so. With a feeling of relief, Flynn cupped a hand over her cheek and softly deepened the kiss before pulling away with a smile. Rapunzel gave him a soft pout of disappointment at this.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, sounding a little breathless.

Grinning to himself at the fact that he had already made her breathless, Flynn smiled and ran his thumb over her cheek. "We still have to _breathe_, Blondie," he laughed. "Besides…we have somewhere to be."

Pouting even more, Rapunzel sighed in frustration. Suddenly, she didn't want to go outside the room. "But we can come back right after, right?" she asked.

Flynn nodded and smiled even more at her before standing up, pulling Rapunzel along with him. "I'll need another massage after Master Thomas is done with me," he said, making a face.

That made Rapunzel laugh a little as she moved closer to Flynn. "And I'm almost done with my drawing, too!" she said. "You'll love it."

So, hand in hand, they made their way down to the courtyard, fingers entwined.

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Author's Note: CHAPTER TWENTY! And, for those who were really looking forward to it, Rapunzel got the sex talk, _and_ we got the first real Eugene/Rapunzel kiss! Enjoy.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Twenty-One

Flynn sighed a little as he sat down after his lesson with Master Thomas. He wasn't as sore as the day before, but there was still quite a bit of pain. Rapunzel came up beside him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek softly.

"That better?" she asked with a smile.

Grinning back at her, Flynn reached up to rest a hand on her elbow. "A little," he admitted. "Though I still have this stiff place in my shoulder…"

Rolling her eyes a little, Rapunzel kissed his cheek again. "Then take off your shirt," she said. "I'll give you a massage if you don't complain too much."

"I never complain," Flynn said with great dignity, earning a snort from Rapunzel as he pulled off his shirt. "I just let you know when you're hitting a place that hurts!"

Laughing a little at this, Rapunzel kissed his cheek once more as she started massaging his shoulders and neck. For a moment, Flynn tensed up but soon her constant motions caused his muscles to relax. Even after Rapunzel could feel his muscles relaxing under her fingers, she continued massaging him, just for the sake of having some form of contact between them. As she did so, they both leaned closer to each other out of habit.

"Eugene?" Rapunzel murmured after a moment, wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind.

"Yeah, Blondie?" Flynn replied, glancing up at her with a smile.

"Would you…" she paused and turned bright pink for a moment before finishing in a rush. "Would you ever want to be married?"

Flynn stared at Rapunzel in surprise for a moment. Had that been part of what the queen discussed with her? Must have been, since she was giving him that look…that wide-eyed, 'I really want an answer because I only just learned about this' look. Pausing to think about this, Flynn glanced at Rapunzel for a moment before he grinned at her.

"Only if I get to marry you," he said sincerely. "No other girl's good enough for me anymore."

A look of pure delight crossed Rapunzel's face as she rested her cheek against his. "Mother mentioned marriage…she said that I shouldn't do…" she blushed a brilliant scarlet as she paused. "Shouldn't do what we talked about until I was married." For a moment, Rapunzel was silent and thoughtful as she idly trailed her fingertips over his collarbone. "Is marriage as nice as I think it is?"

Flynn made a slight face at this question. He wasn't really the best authority on marriage. His parents hadn't been married, from what little he had learned about them growing up, and he had never thought of himself as the marrying type until he met Rapunzel. But…when he really thought about it, there had to be _something_ to this marriage thing. The king and queen seemed happy enough, and they'd been married for as long as he could remember.

"I don't really know," he finally said with a shrug. "Never been married, you know."

Rapunzel smiled sheepishly at him and pondered his answer for a minute before she responded. "I think it is," she said quietly. "My parents seem happy, and I want that same happiness. With you," she added, smiling at him.

Was this a proposal? If it was, it was the most interesting one that Flynn had ever heard of in his life. Sure, he'd never done any proposing, but some of the older girls in the orphanage would have at least a half-dozen beaus following them around like love-sick puppies, and they would always gossip with one another about the various proposals they got. Looking over at Rapunzel, Flynn gave her hand a squeeze.

"I wouldn't mind trying it out," he admitted with a lopsided grin.

But not yet, he added to himself. Rapunzel was only eighteen, after all, and Flynn was almost twenty-six. He vaguely remembered when the queen was sick and everyone went looking for the legendary golden flower, for God's sake! She hadn't even been _born_ then. Maybe it would be better to wait until she was a little older and knew more about what it meant to be married.

"How's your mystery drawing coming?" he asked, not even bothering to disguise the fact that he was changing the subject.

Rapunzel gave him a look that said she knew exactly what he was doing, but she didn't say anything about it. "I'm almost done," she said with a look of pride. "I just have to do the finishing touches. You'll love it," she assured him with a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I'll bet," Flynn replied with a chuckle. "Come on…it's time to get you in bed, Princess."

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Isabelle stood before the mirror once more, her cloak cast aside on the lone chair in the room as she inspected her appearance carefully. This had to be perfect if their plan was going to succeed. Her long dark hair had been cut so that it only barely reached her shoulder blades rather than her waist as it had before, and her clothing had been changed from her usual black to a gown of deep red, leaving her with quite a different look than before. She didn't quite enjoy this new appearance, but it was necessary for what they needed to do tonight. Looking at the mirror-image of Gothel, Isabelle held out her arms defiantly as she arched her eyebrow.

"Well?" she asked with a sniff. "How do I look?"

"You'll do," Gothel said with a shrug. "Not quite what I would do, but I can't do this and I suppose I'll have to live with your methods for now."

Isabelle frowned dangerously at the mirror for a moment. "You _will_ have to live with my methods," she snapped, glaring. "Is there anything further you want me to do?"

"Just make her mind weak enough for me to take advantage of that weakness," Gothel said with a sneer. "And then we will take the next step in my plan."

A grin of wicked delight crossed Isabelle's face as she considered this. "Yes…that will be most satisfactory. Most satisfactory."

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Rapunzel woke to the sound of Eugene crying out in protest as Pascal's tongue shot at his ear. She managed to hide a grin as she watched the both of them.

"You have _got_ to _stop that_!" Eugene growled as he glared at the chameleon. "Honestly." Looking down to see Rapunzel he smiled a little, still rubbing at his ear. "Morning, Blondie," he greeted, kissing her forehead. "Sleep well?"

Smiling a little, she nestled against him before answering. "I did," she said with a sigh of contentment, letting her gaze wander idly. Suddenly she thought she spotted something that shouldn't be there and gasped in surprise, stiffening against Eugene.

"Rapunzel?" Flynn asked in confusion, rubbing her back soothingly. "What is it?" Looking over his shoulder at where she was gazing, he couldn't see anything. What could have scared her?

"It's…it's nothing," Rapunzel said in a weak voice, clearing her throat a little. "I thought I saw…nothing."

"Are you sure?" Flynn pressed. "You can tell me anything, Blondie."

Shaking her head against his chest, Rapunzel sighed heavily. "It's nothing, I promise. I'm fine."

Flynn didn't buy it for a second, but it made Rapunzel feel a little better to fib, and he wasn't about to question that. Sitting up with a sigh, he gently stroked her hair before slipping out of bed. He felt much less stiff and sore now that he had been put through Master Thomas' training for two days straight, but that didn't mean he really wanted to go back to the man's training from hell. Almost literally. Wincing at the mere thought of it, he sighed heavily and began pulling on his shirt.

Rapunzel stayed on the bed, pulling her knees towards her chest and resting her chin on top of them as she stared fixedly at the spot she had been looking at earlier. She could have sworn that she had seen Gothel standing there, but that wasn't possible. Even if Gothel's spirit was coming after them, she wouldn't have a physical form now. Shaking her head firmly, Rapunzel silently berated herself for being so silly. She had probably just seen the red curtains shifting in the wind and made something out of nothing.

Glancing over at Eugene, she smiled a little as he pulled one of his new vests over his shirt and began buckling his belt, looking like he was about to be led to the executioner's block rather than to a swordsmanship lesson. Slipping off the bed, Rapunzel walked over to Eugene and wrapped her arms around his middle.

"You're too serious," she chided lovingly. "Your lessons can't be _that_ bad."

Wrapping his own arms around her, Flynn made a face. "You have no idea, Blondie," he mumbled darkly. "You going to be doing more drawing today or something else?"

It was Rapunzel's turn to make a face. "My philosophy teacher says we're going to have a new lesson today. I don't want to, though. I'd rather do a history lesson."

Chuckling a little, Flynn kissed the top of Rapunzel's head before he released her to make his way to the door. "Well, I'll just see you later. Master Thomas said he wanted to do something different today," he said with a grimace.

Rushing forward, Rapunzel wrapped her arms around Eugene's neck and kissed him softly before pulling away. "Have a good day," she said with a beaming smile.

For a moment or two, Flynn's brain didn't seem to be working properly as he stared down at Rapunzel. Then he remembered what he was supposed to be doing and coughed self-consciously. "Right…see you…later," he muttered.

Smiling to herself at this, Rapunzel walked over to the wardrobe to dress for the day. Glancing at the window again, she froze and dropped the dress she was holding. "Gothel?" she asked in a soft voice.

But before she could get a good look at whoever it was, they were gone. Stumbling backwards until her back was pressed against the wall, Rapunzel cradled her head in her hands and whimpered in fear. Was she going crazy?


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Twenty-Two

It turned out that Master Thomas' "something new" was to drag Flynn into the middle of the forest—totally unprepared and out of his element—with nothing but the old sword he had been training with and a water skin. Not exactly the sort of thing that Flynn had been looking forward to. For one thing, he just _knew_ that the aching in his chest from being away from Rapunzel was going to be really bad by the time they got out of the forest. And another issue was the fact that he was now completely alone with his psycho swordsmanship teacher.

Simply put, he was toast.

This was not going to end well, Flynn thought as Master Thomas came to a halt and pulled out his own swords. Flynn still couldn't understand why they were using _real_ swords and not practice ones. Apparently old Master Thomas didn't believe in babying his students in any way, even if it meant keeping them alive a little longer by not giving them real swords until they were ready to use them properly. Whatever his reasoning, Flynn really thought the guy was nuts for even letting him have a sword, let alone a proper one that was sharp. Not that Master Thomas ever tried to explain his methods. The old guy was really tight-lipped about everything.

Swinging his sword idly as he stared at the old man, Flynn arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Do I even _want_ to know why we're here? In the middle of nowhere…far enough away from the castle that at any minute the Princess and I will start being in incredible pain?"

Master Thomas didn't bother to answer, simply facing Flynn, his sword at the ready as he arched a challenging eyebrow. "Attack," he said firmly.

"…Huh? Seriously? No explanations at all?" Flynn demanded. "You know…that's really annoying."

"I said attack," the older man repeated, giving Flynn a pointed look. "Time is money, and I'm not getting any younger."

Rolling his eyes dramatically, Flynn swung his sword idly again before he took the starting position that he had been taught to take. "I am really getting tired of all the secrets, old man," he muttered darkly. The next thing he knew, Flynn was swearing fluently as he shook his stinging hand wildly. "What the _hell_?" he cried, glaring at Master Thomas, who looked as though he hadn't moved at all, though there was a remarkably smug look on his face.

"I told you to attack," he said blandly. "Next time, do what I say and you'll have fewer bruises. Enemies won't be as nice as me."

Flynn _really_ didn't like this old guy, he decided as he glared darkly at Master Thomas. "Crazy old goat…" he mumbled mutinously, glowering at the older man before he lunged forward, sword at the ready.

Of course, the old man simply sidestepped the blow and swatted Flynn's sword away. "Your actions are too large," he said as he blocked another blow. "Any enemy that you face will be able to guess whatever you're doing and you'll be dead in minutes. You have to be _subtle_, Rider."

Subtle? Flynn considered this, wondering about what to do now. He hadn't exactly been _taught_ how to be subtle in sword fighting yet. What did the crazy old coot expect anyway? Perfection? Slowly, he began pacing around Master Thomas, trying to find some flaw in the older man's defenses. None existed, of course. Still…he could act like there were some. Smirking a little, Flynn feinted to the right before actually stabbing at Master Thomas' left side. For a moment, the old sword fighter seemed taken aback, but he recovered quickly.

"Better," he said with a slight smirk. "You have potential. I said it before, Rider, and I meant it. Just act on that potential. You aren't stupid, boy," he added, tapping Flynn's shoulder with the flat of his blade. "Act like it."

This continued for hours, until Flynn was sweaty, sore, and in pain. None of this really helped his temper, as his Patience was almost at the breaking point. Glaring up at Master Thomas after another bout of banter and sarcasm from the old man, Flynn gasped for breath, one hand moving to rub his chest over his heart.

"I don't care what you say, old man," he finally grumbled. "I'm in pain, and I'm out of here."

Straightening up and turning his back on the older man, Flynn started to walk away when he heard Master Thomas coming towards him. Instinctively, he turned around sharply, his sword up and ready. Blocking the older man's first attack, Flynn found himself parrying and lunging rapidly, trying to break through his teacher's defenses and just end this stupid lesson. They moved around the small clearing, the sound of steel colliding with steel ringing through the air as they both tried to get the better of one another. Finally, Flynn managed to lock blades with Master Thomas long enough to force the older man's sword out of his hand and glared at his teacher.

"I'm. Done," he growled dangerously.

Instead of getting angry at him, which Flynn fully expected, Master Thomas began chuckling and held out his hand for Flynn to return his sword. Taken about by this, Flynn did so staring at the older man as though he had grown another head.

"Good job, Rider. I didn't think you'd be able to disarm me this quick. You'll do just fine."

With that, Master Thomas walked off, leaving a very confused Flynn behind. After he had been standing alone for a moment or two, Flynn looked up at the nearest tree. "What the hell just happened?" he asked the air, as though it would be able to give him an answer. Of course, there wasn't any response to his question, and the pain in his chest soon forced Flynn to make his way back to the palace.

He found Rapunzel quickly enough. The Princess was sitting with her drawing master, looking very pleased about something, though Flynn noticed she was much more tense than usual. Frowning a little at this, he walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, sighing in relief as the pain in his chest eased. Rapunzel looked up at him with a soft smile and placed her hand over his, clearly as relieved as he was that the pain was gone now.

"You're all sweaty," she commented with a giggle.

"I know," Flynn said with a sigh. "Master Thomas was a real slave driver today. But enough about my woes. What are you up to, Blondie?"

This seemed to be the exact question that Rapunzel wanted him to ask as she beamed up at him and took her sketchbook down off of her easel and began flipping through the pages too rapidly for Flynn to clearly see what she was passing. Finally, she paused on one page, though she didn't hold it out for him to see just yet. Turning large green eyes towards him, she beamed up at him.

"I hope you like it," she said with a shy smile. "I drew it for you."

Flynn grinned at that and crouched down beside her as she held out the sketchbook for him to see. The picture in question was of him. Specifically, it was Flynn leaning against the courtyard wall and glowering on his first day of lessons with Master Thomas. He had to admit, it was a really good drawing. She got his features just right—including his nose, which he was grateful for—and it even looked like he was actually grumbling under his breath. He probably had been at the time, though Flynn couldn't recall clearly if he had been. Rapunzel hadn't colored it in yet, but she had already perfected all the lines and erased all of the unnecessary ones, leaving it looking very clean.

"It's great, Blondie," he said honestly when she gave him a questioning look. "You really captured my rugged good looks."

Rapunzel giggled a little at this comment and flushed in delight. "I'm glad you like it," she said eagerly. "I'll start coloring it tomorrow, and then you can hang it up somewhere!"

Chuckling a little at how excited she was, Flynn took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. "Great, because there isn't already a lot of artwork on our walls," he teased.

Rolling her eyes, Rapunzel started to argue when her eyes drifted past Flynn to a spot beyond him. As Flynn watched, all of the color drained from her face and she gripped his hand so tight that he was afraid he would start losing circulation to his fingers. Grunting a little in surprise, he glanced over his shoulder, but couldn't see anything. Just like this morning…frowning to himself, Flynn looked up at Rapunzel and ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Rapunzel?" he asked gently. "What's wrong?"

She met his gaze slowly, as though she didn't want to look away from the spot where she had seen…whatever it was. Flynn's frown deepened at this, but he continued to look up at her. Clearing her throat a little, she shook her head. "I'm fine," she said weakly.

Flynn gave her a disbelieving look and arched an eyebrow. "You're a really bad liar, Blondie," he said with a shake of his head. "What's going on?"

They were both silent as Rapunzel shook her head stubbornly. "It's nothing," she whispered. "I—"

"Rapunzel," Flynn said firmly, meeting her gaze without blinking. "I know that it's not nothing. What's wrong?" Reaching up, he brushed her hair away from her eyes and gave her a pleading look. He'd pull out the Smolder if he had to. "You can tell me."

Beside them, the drawing master cleared his throat a little and walked away, though Flynn didn't really notice. He was too busy looking at Rapunzel, silently willing her to tell him what was bothering her. After a moment, she sighed and looked down at their hands.

"I…I thought I saw…Gothel," she murmured softly, tightening her grip on his hand for a moment, looking like she expected him to scoff at him.

But that was the last thing Flynn planned to do to Rapunzel. Looking at her in surprise, Flynn glanced back at the spot that she had been staring at earlier with a frown. That wasn't possible…was it? Though…Granny _had_ said that the thing she had sensed could be a spirit. Shuddering a little at that thought, he ran his thumb over Rapunzel's knuckles with a sigh.

"I said I wouldn't let her get you if it is her that's trying to get us," he said firmly. "And I meant it." Looking up at her with a determined expression, Flynn reached up and cupped a hand over her cheek. "She's not getting her hands on you again if I have anything to say about it."

Smiling weakly at him gratefully, Rapunzel put her hand over his and leaned her head into his touch. "I know you won't," she said in a choked voice. "But why do I keep seeing her when no one else does?"

That was a damn good question, Flynn thought with another frown. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I promise that she's not going to be able to do anything to you. Come on," he added, standing up. "We better tell Granny about this."

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"What?" Granny cried after Flynn and Rapunzel had explained everything to her. "Then it must be her…" she mused. "There is no other explanation." Pacing madly, Granny frowned deeply and wrung her hands nervously. "I'll have to place protective spells over you," she added, looking at Rapunzel. "She must be targeting you specifically because you were the cause of her death, by losing your hair."

Rapunzel's eyes widened in fear and Flynn wrapped his arms tightly around her, glaring a little at Granny. Did she have to be such a downer all the time? Holding Rapunzel close, he softly kissed her forehead in what he hoped was a soothing action.

"Oh, don't worry, my little blossom," Granny said hastily, coming over and cupping her hands over Rapunzel's cheeks. "Nothing is going to happen to you."

This didn't seem to make Rapunzel feel better. Flynn felt how Rapunzel flinched when Granny called her a blossom and began rubbing her back soothingly. She looked up at Flynn with wide, fearful eyes and clung to him.

"I'm scared," she whispered as Granny walked off, still muttering.

"I know," Flynn said quietly. "I know…"

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Isabelle stood hidden on the balcony outside of the room given to this mysterious "Granny," listening closely to all that was said in the other room. The mirror was clutched in her hands, Gothel's image also listening as the old woman talked about protective spells. A sneer crossed Gothel's features.

"She won't be able to do anything," she snarled softly. "Rapunzel is already vulnerable, and her fear makes her even more so, even with that woman attempting to protect her. We move tonight."

"Yes…" Isabelle agreed in a low purr. "Tonight."


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Twenty-Three

The rest of the day, Flynn kept Rapunzel close by, almost afraid that she would run away if he let her out of his sight. She seemed to feel the same way, as Rapunzel wasn't eager to move away from him for anything, though when Flynn pointed out that he did need to bathe, she allowed him to leave her with her father in the library for that. When Flynn emerged out of the bath, now clean and only aching slightly from his training earlier, he found Rapunzel kneeling at her father's feet, listening avidly as he read to her.

To Flynn's surprise, he recognized what the king was reading to her. It was one of the many stories about Flynnigan Rider. Now why would the royal library have a copy of _that_ book in particular? There were loads of other forms of literature that were more appropriate for royalty. Leaning against the doorway, Flynn smiled a little to himself as Rapunzel slowly smiled at the different antics of Flynnigan Rider. The king looked up during a pause in the story and nodded silently to Flynn before continuing.

"The castle walls were high, almost impenetrable, but that didn't trouble Flynnigan. He knew that he would be able to get up there. No walls could keep the beautiful Lady-love of the dashing rogue away from him for long, after all," the king read.

"So he slowly began making his way up the wall," Flynn began reciting from memory. "Hand over hand, pausing with each movement to make sure that he wouldn't slip and fall to his doom before he was reunited with the Lady Alice."

Rapunzel looked up at the sound of Flynn's voice and beamed at him. "Does he save her?" she asked excitedly as she rushed over to hug Flynn around the middle.

"I'm not giving it away," Flynn retorted. "You'll have to read it and find out for yourself."

The king closed the book slowly, his eyes meeting Flynn's. "I was always very fond of these stories," the older man commented with a slight chuckle. "My mother used to read them to me when I was young."

That surprised Flynn a little. He couldn't quite imagine the king as a kid listening to the stories of a swashbuckling rogue. To him, the king had always been…well…the king; never a young unmarried man and _definitely_ not a kid who got into trouble just like Flynn would when he was at the orphanage. It was…just a weird picture. Shaking his head slightly, Flynn managed a weak grin.

"They are good," he admitted as Rapunzel continued hugging him tight. "Uh…I'm just gonna take Rapunzel out to the gardens," he said after an awkward moment where he tried to think of something to say.

Taking her hand in his, Flynn led her out of the library and into the gardens, where they found a secluded bench to sit down with each other. Rapunzel instantly snuggled up against him and smiled fondly up at him.

"How many times did you read those stories?" she asked as she nuzzled against him.

Flynn shrugged idly and rubbed her back fondly. "More times than I can count," he said with a chuckle. "I really don't know…"

She smiled up at him and laced her fingers through his. "I think we should read them together,' she said with an affectionate look. "I want you to read them to me the way you would read them to the kids at the orphanage."

Grinning down at her, Flynn kissed her forehead fondly. "If you want," he said quietly. "I haven't read those stories in years."

"That's too bad," Rapunzel said, completely serious. Smiling once more, she kissed his cheek. "We could start over tonight! My father was already reading them to himself when I came in, so I didn't hear the beginning."

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That night, just like she had said, Rapunzel was perched on the bed with a copy of _The Tales of Flynnigan Rider_ clutched to her chest, bouncing in excitement. Flynn hadn't seen her so excited since she had first seen the floating lanterns on her birthday. It was awfully cute, he thought as he climbed onto the bed beside her. Settling himself so that his back was leaning against the headboard and one arm was wrapped around Rapunzel, Flynn glanced up when he heard Pascal's little chirp of curiosity. The chameleon had perched himself on the top of the headboard, but he was staring down at the book, as if he too was excited for the story. Chuckling to himself, Flynn opened the book and began to read.

"There once was a dashing hero, who was the richest man alive, as well as the bravest," he read in his best Flynn Rider voice. "He saved those who were in trouble, protected the innocent, and wooed all the ladies in the land. His name, was Flynnigan Rider."

Rapunzel settled against Flynn's chest and listened eagerly as Flynn read to her, drinking in each word with delight. They read together for nearly two hours, reaching the middle of the book when Flynnigan Rider first declared his love for the Lady Alice, when Rapunzel's eyes started to droop. Smiling to himself at this, Flynn softly closed the book and adjusted their positions so that they were lying down, Rapunzel still cuddled up against him.

"Good night, Blondie," he whispered softly.

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Isabelle stood on the balcony of the Princess' room, the mirror containing Gothel's spirit pressed against her chest as she watched the two people inside of the room as they began to fall asleep. Now was the time to act, she thought to herself. Gothel was silent, as the glass surface of the mirror was hidden by the fabric of Isabelle's cloak. Frowning a little, Isabelle idly traced a finger over the carved wood of the mirror's frame. She could very easily turn back now; tell Gothel that the prepared spell had failed and that Rapunzel was beyond the old hag's reach now. She could…but Isabelle knew she wouldn't. You didn't just betray your mentor like that, after all. It always ended badly for the student in question.

"Is she asleep yet?" Gothel hissed.

"Not quite," Isabelle whispered back. "Be patient, Mother Gothel."

Patience was something that Isabelle was very familiar with herself, after all. She had waited for nearly fifteen years after discovering her ability for magic before finding a teacher who would not scorn her for her female gender, and then another three years to find the spirit of Gothel, the oldest woman alive. Yes…Isabelle was a very patient woman, and she could wait for this.

Gothel, on the other hand, could not.

"Then cast your sleeping charm!" she snapped.

Rolling her eyes a little, grateful that Gothel couldn't see, Isabelle lifted one hand and began to chant under her breath. A soft greenish glow appeared around her hand, and a strange mist began to snake its way from her fingertips towards the two figures inside of the bedroom. First, the mist wrapped around Flynn Rider before snaking over Rapunzel, sending them both into a deep sleep that they would not soon wake from. With that done, Isabelle drew the mirror out from under her cloak and made her way into the room, pausing when she was standing over the bed.

"Revenge is now in your reach," she said to the image of Gothel.

With a sigh, Gothel's image vanished from the mirror's surface, and another strange mist appeared, making its sluggish way towards Rapunzel. The mist paused over the girl's chest and then spread over Rapunzel's body, sinking into her skin. A sickly blue light shimmered for a moment as the mist was completely absorbed into Rapunzel, and the large green eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Oh…it is _good_ to be back," Gothel said, using the voice of Rapunzel.

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Author's Note: Dun, dun ! How's that for a cliff-hanger? I know this is a short chapter, but this seemed like a good place to end. So you will all have to wait until the next chapter to find out all of Gothel's horrible plan! Enjoy.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Twenty-Four

It was rather surreal to see Rapunzel's body standing in front of the mirror, moving and speaking like Mother Gothel, Isabelle decided, frowning to herself. Rapunzel—or Gothel, she supposed—was currently admiring her new body, running her hands over her curves and frowning. "She's gotten chubbier since the tower," she commented. "Ugh, and this hair…" she added, dragging her fingers through the short brown hair.

"That _was_ partly your fault," Isabelle muttered darkly, thankful that Gothel was too busy staring at her reflection to really hear her. Though it was true enough, after all.

"Hmm…" Gothel said as she moved to stand over the still-sleeping Flynn Rider. "And what should we do with him?"

For a moment or two, they both simply looked down at his face. Isabelle felt something stirring within her chest, but squashed it hastily. She couldn't start pitying him now. Pity was for the weak and those who didn't have the courage to take what they needed out of life. Setting her jaw firmly, Isabelle took a step closer to the bed and sneered.

"Leave him here," she said after a moment. "That will give us time to get away, and of course he'll follow us to get the girl back. That would be a better time to ensure that he stays dead, because you can then kill Rapunzel after forcing her to watch."

This idea seemed to appeal to Gothel, who grinned wickedly—an expression that was not suited to the new face she had, Isabelle noted with an arched eyebrow—before turning to the balcony. "Then we best not waste anymore time," she said with a slight chuckle. "We have a long way to go, and a great deal to do."

With one last glance at the sleeping figure of Flynn Rider, Isabelle followed the small form of Rapunzel's body, her cloak billowing behind her like a bat's wings as she moved.

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It was the aching in his chest that woke Flynn the next morning. Rapunzel must have gotten up in the middle of the night and fallen asleep in her chair. It had happened before, much to the discomfort of both of them. Yawning a little and rubbing his eyes, he sat up slowly and looked around for Rapunzel. To his surprise, he didn't see her in the room. That…was unusual. Frowning in confusion, Flynn stood up slowly before a sharp ache in his chest caused him to stumble against the wall, rubbing his chest with a groan. The pain hadn't been this bad since he first tried to walk to the palace alone.

"What the hell?" he muttered to himself. "Rapunzel?"

She didn't answer, and Flynn started to panic. Why wouldn't she answer if she was anywhere nearby? Where could she be? Stumbling to the door, Flynn pulled it open and groaned as a fresh wave of pain hit him like a frying pan to the head. Groaning in pain, Flynn pulled one of the many servants aside and gritted his teeth.

"Get…get the king and queen," he hissed. "I need to talk to them."

The poor girl's eyes widened in shock at the urgency in his voice before nodding and bobbing a hasty curtsy as she rushed off, but Flynn didn't really care at this point. Leaning heavily against the door frame, he rubbed his chest in a failed attempt to ease the pain that was growing there. Where could Rapunzel be? She would have woken him up if she was going to leave for so long that it would get this painful.

Soon the hall was filled with the sounds of rapid footsteps as the king and queen ran towards Flynn. They clearly already thought the worst had happened, as pure panic was in the queen's eyes as she drew closer.

"What is it?" she asked breathlessly. "Where is Rapunzel?"

"That's…what I'm wondering," Flynn groaned. "I woke up…and she wasn't in the room…Argh," he growled as the pain continued to grow worse. "Do you have any idea where she could be?"

The king looked just as panicked as his wife and shook his head. "No…neither of us have seen her this morning. We assumed that she was still in bed."

Flynn shook his head as Granny rushed up. "No…she's nowhere nearby…trust me, I can tell."

Granny's facial expression instantly became stormy as she took in the sight of Flynn. Then her eyes narrowed and for a moment, Flynn saw the resemblance between the old woman and Rapunzel. They both had the same determined look in their eyes when there was something they wanted to do, no matter the cost. As he observed this, Flynn was suddenly very grateful that Granny was on his side in this and not someone else's.

"It must be her," she hissed. "That little snake…I should have ensured her spirit could never rise again!"

"Wait…" Flynn groaned. "You mean…Gothel?"

"Yes, Gothel," Granny said, making it sound like a curse word. "I'm going to find that little…" she swore so colorfully that Flynn was temporarily too surprised to remember how in pain he was, "and send her soul to the darkest circle of hell."

Flynn and the two royals stood staring at Granny in surprise after this outburst before Flynn spoke. "I'm going with you," he said with a snarl. "That old witch has already ruined Rapunzel's life once. I'm not letting her get away with it again."

"That will be exactly what she wants you to do," Granny pointed out.

"Do I look like I give a damn at this point?" Flynn retorted with a growl. "Someone get me a sword and I'll go after her myself, if I have to."

Granny paused for a moment after hearing this and then smirked slightly. "Get the boy a sword, William, but bring it to me first. I want to give it a little something extra before giving it to him."

The king looked like he was about to protest—or demand that he be allowed to come along, Flynn really couldn't tell at this point—before nodding stiffly and turning to give this order to one of the servants. It took what felt like forever to Flynn for the sword to arrive, and by then the king had helped him to get dressed. That was a little embarrassing, but at this point Flynn was in too much pain to really care. All he wanted was to get out of here and find Rapunzel, wherever she was.

Taking the sword—an older one that looked like it had seen a lot of use—in hand, Granny inspected it for a moment before nodding her approval. "It'll do," she said firmly. "Once I've finished with it."

The queen watched all of this closely, wringing her hands in worry. The poor woman looked as though she had just lost a huge part of herself, and Flynn couldn't blame her. This was the second time Gothel had taken Rapunzel from them, and Flynn was determined to make sure this was the last time. If not for Rapunzel's sake, then at least to give her parents some peace of mind. They'd earned it after all.

"Uh…" Flynn grunted in pain. "What're you going to do to that thing?"

"Hush," Granny scolded softly.

Closing her eyes, the old woman murmured something under her breath that Flynn couldn't catch and after a moment or two, the blade gleamed with whatever power Granny had put into it. Sheathing the sword, Granny handed it to Flynn and began ordering servants around to prepare what would be needed for their journey. Once more getting help from the king, Flynn buckled the belt that now had the sword hanging from it around his waist and then followed Granny down to the stables.

He was going to get Rapunzel back, even if he had to crawl to wherever she was.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Twenty-Five

Rapunzel was afraid. More afraid than she had ever been in her life. She was awake, but somehow she couldn't see anything around her. Had she been struck blind like Gothel had said would happen if she kept reading in dim light? She hoped not. That was the worst thing that could happen to her! Being blind meant no more painting, no more reading, and most importantly, it meant no more looking at Eugene. But…no, she was sure that she hadn't suddenly gone blind. Maybe she was dreaming? This certainly _felt_ like a dream…

"Ah…she's finally awake there," a voice—_her _voice, she realized with a start—purred in satisfaction. "Finally. I was beginning to wonder…"

Suddenly, her voice stopped with a gasp of pain. Wherever she was, Rapunzel couldn't feel the usual ache of being away from Eugene…at least, not very strongly. Where _was_ she, anyway? It was starting to scare her, not knowing. And where was Eugene? What was going on?

"What is it, Mother Gothel?" another voice, one that Rapunzel didn't recognize, asked.

"I don't know!" Rapunzel's voice replied, and suddenly the young Princess recognized that tone. Ice ran through her veins as Gothel continued. "Something is wrong. I shouldn't be in pain over this…What has she done to herself?"

There was a long silence and Rapunzel's panic was starting to grow. Why was Gothel using her voice? And just how bad was the pain? If she was in pain, then so was Eugene, and that was the last thing that Rapunzel wanted. Her thoughts were interrupted by the other voice.

"Interesting…now it seems Flynn Rider will _have_ to come after us."

"What do you mean?" Gothel demanded, still in Rapunzel's voice.

"I mean, that unless he finds us soon, neither he nor the Princess have long to live."

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"What do you mean, 'We're not going to the tower'?" Flynn demanded as Granny waited for him to mount Max. "That's the place she's most likely to go to."

"And the first place that anyone who knows about the tower would look," Granny retorted with a sigh. "We have to think like Gothel to find where she has taken Rapunzel, and the last thing she wants is to be found. Not again, now that she has Rapunzel with her once more."

Flynn couldn't argue with that, and not just because the logic made sense. Just at that moment, an especially sharp wave of pain washed over him, leaving him clinging to Max's neck and breathless. Looking up at Granny, Flynn caught the brief look of pity that crossed her face, much to his chagrin. He didn't want her pity right now. All he wanted was to get Rapunzel back. There was a soft whicker from Max, and Flynn idly stroked the side of the large horse's neck.

"I'm okay, tough guy," he muttered under his breath. Flynn was sure Max didn't believe him, and he couldn't blame the horse. Flynn didn't really believe himself. "Oh, shut up," he muttered when the horse turned his head to glance up at the thief.

"Are you sure that you can keep up…?" Granny started to ask.

"No," Flynn said a little snappishly. "But I don't care at this point. Let's just find that old witch and get Rapunzel back."

Granny arched an eyebrow at this before shaking her head and mounting her own horse, an older mare that Flynn had noticed around the stables before, but never paid much attention to. The old horse didn't look like much, but Flynn had learned a while ago to not judge a book by its cover. Gripping Max's reins tightly in his hands, Flynn sighed heavily and nodded at Granny.

"Let's go."

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This was really starting to get on Flynn's nerves. Sure, because he was getting closer to Rapunzel the pain was a tiny bit better, but that didn't mean that he was feeling better. Far from it. Just knowing that he was still so far away from Rapunzel made the ache feel worse than it actually was, and it was starting to get to his temper. Granny was starting to become the victim of his very bad temper, and Flynn was very surprised that she hadn't smacked him yet.

"Where the hell is she?" he demanded sharply the morning after their departure from the city. "If she's not at the tower, where else could she be?"

Granny only sighed heavily as she stroked her horse's neck. "I'm working on finding them, Eugene. Trust me."

That shut him up. Up until now, only Rapunzel called him Eugene. Sure, he was Mr. Fitzherbert to the king and queen, but nobody else had called him by his real first name for over ten years before he met Rapunzel. Not since…But he stopped himself right there. He wasn't going to think about that part of his life right now. There would be time for reminiscing later.

"How are you finding them?" he asked, trying to sound less tense, though he wasn't sure that he succeeded.

"Magic, Mr. Fitzherbert," Granny said with a roll of her eyes. "Magic. At this point, it's the only method we have that could have even a hope of succeeding."

Flynn didn't like the sound of that too much. It made it sound like they would most likely never find Rapunzel, Gothel, and whoever was helping the woman's spirit. Well, that was probably true in any case, but that didn't mean Flynn liked hearing it from Granny. She was supposed to be the woman with a plan, after all, not the one foretelling doom and gloom. This…was not going to be good, was it?

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Isabelle had told Gothel that the body she now inhabited only had a limited amount of time, but something told Isabelle that the old woman's spirit didn't believe her. Which was just simply foolish on the part of Gothel. The evidence was right in front of the woman, and yet she believed none of it. Sighing in exasperation as Gothel rubbed at her chest, Isabelle crushed her hair back away from her face.

"You simply have to believe me," she said firmly. "Some magic binds the Princess and Flynn Rider together now, and so they are doomed to die if separated. The only reason you're still alive can only be that Rider is following us."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Gothel snapped. "Just wait here for him to find us? The plan won't work if we do that, and you know it."

"This is true," Isabelle agreed with a shrug. "But that doesn't mean we can't use this to our advantage. After all, this means that he needs to come to us."

"Stop talking nonsense and just tell me what it is you have planned!" Gothel snarled.

The Princess Rapunzel's voice really wasn't suited to snarling, Isabelle noted to herself as she pulled a brush out of her saddle bag and began running it through her hair. "We wait, but not until Rider has found us," she explained. "He somehow survived for at least several weeks without being in the Princess' company from what I can make out of what happened to them, so if we keep a set distance between us and Rider…we can keep both Princess and thief alive just long enough to fulfill your plan."

Gothel pondered this for a moment, and Isabelle could see the calculating look in the green eyes, as well as raw envy as Gothel watched Isabelle brush out her hair. They were both silent until Gothel spoke again. "You have a great deal of potential, Isabelle. That is a very good plan. It should work quite well."

Just so long as the Princess' body wasn't weaker than Isabelle assumed, but Isabelle didn't say this out loud. Let Gothel sort that out on her own. The old woman was supposed to be intelligent, after all. Calmly pinning up her hair while Gothel watched, Isabelle sighed and moved to where their two horses were grazing.

"Then you will have to be ready to at least leave some signs for them to follow, if we want them to be able to remain a set distance behind us," she said quietly. "Do you have any ideas for what we could leave? Perhaps something that is special to the Princess…?"

Gothel calmly reached up and snagged off part of Rapunzel's nightgown, taking the lace in her hand and ripping it off the sleeve. "This will do."

Isabelle didn't respond, simply nodding. This was going to be an interesting journey, to say the least.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Twenty-Six

Flynn was having more and more difficulty staying awake. He hadn't slept well the night before, when Granny insisted they set up camp, even though Flynn knew he wouldn't be able to sleep without Rapunzel there. Now, that was coming back to bite him in the butt as he fought to keep his eyes open, with little success. Max at least had the decency to not move too fast, for fear of having Flynn fall off his back and be lost in the brush, though Flynn was sure that at least would wake him up fully. That or a nice stiff drink, but he doubted that Granny had anything like that on hand.

Sighing heavily as he once more almost fell off of Max's back, Flynn watched the ground beneath the horse's hooves and tried to think of something other than the pain in his chest. Also not an easy task, but it was much easier than the task of trying to stay awake, it seemed. In fact, he found himself focusing on individual blades of grass quite easily, even with the horrible aching in his chest that seemed to be spreading down towards the scar where Gothel had stabbed him all those weeks ago. Weird…or a bad omen. He couldn't quite decide which it was.

Granny watched him closely, as though afraid that he would do something stupid and jump off of Max's back. Like he was that desperate. Flynn was way too determined to just find Rapunzel to throw himself anywhere, especially not off of the back of a moving horse. Max might just trample him out of spite if he did that. Stupid horse.

"How close are we?" he asked, though it came out much more slurred, like he'd been drinking. Or hadn't had a decent sleep for nearly thirty-six hours. Either one was a good enough excuse for why he couldn't speak coherently.

"Closer," was all Granny said in response. "But they're still moving."

"Of _course_ they are," Flynn growled under his breath.

This was just further proof that good things never happened to him. Or, if they did, they didn't last long. Just look at his childhood. Everything good that had ever happened to him when he was a kid had ended quickly and painfully. Frowning to himself at that thought, Flynn tried to force his mind away from his childhood, but that didn't work. Against his will, he found himself thinking about all those years at the orphanage.

Flynn had grown up always knowing that he wasn't wanted. His mother had died giving birth to him and his father had never wanted to claim him, because a bastard son was the last thing that anyone of noble blood wanted to admit to having. From the time he was about three and could understand when older people were talking about him specifically, Flynn had known that he was the subject of a lot of gossip. Most of the people in the village where he had been born knew exactly who his father was and why he was being raised in an orphanage. The one thing he had heard repeated over and over in reference to him was that "no one wants the bastard child of a Lord who couldn't keep his hands to himself." He'd learned later in life that there was never any statement that was more fitting for his life than that one.

No one wanted him, except for Mrs. Miller, and even then, after several years, she started to feel the strain of keeping him at the orphanage while other kids found new homes, even if it meant that they went to those homes as servants. By the time Flynn was eight, he had decided that nothing was worth suffering the embarrassment of being the local pariah, so he had run away. Of course, he had not been so eloquent in describing his reasoning then. That had only come with age. A part of him wondered if Mrs. Miller was even alive anymore. And what about all those little kids he would read to from the time he learned how to read at age six? Had they found a better life for themselves?

Shaking his head firmly, Flynn forced his thoughts away from that. Now was not the time to be worrying about kids that he would probably never see again. He had bigger things to worry about, after all, like getting through this journey without falling off of Max's back or dying. Especially dying. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Again. It had been bad enough the first time.

Running a hand through his hair so that it all stood on end, Eugene Fitzherbert prayed for the first time in years. _Just let me find her and get us out of this alive_.

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The scrap of lace was enough to wake Flynn up a lot more than anything else. Dismounting so hastily that he stumbled when his feet touched the ground, he rushed to the small bush where the lace was caught up in the branches and clutched at it as though it would magically make Rapunzel appear in front of him. That didn't happen, but for a brief moment, it felt like the pain in his chest receded ever so slightly. It was still warm, but that could be from being on a bush in the sunlight for hours. Still…it was something, and it had been on Rapunzel's nightgown at some point in the recent past. She couldn't be too far ahead of them now…

Looking back at Granny, Flynn saw the old woman giving the bit of lace a calculating look before urging her mare forward. Tucking the lace under his vest, Flynn remounted Max and followed after Granny, his heart lighter than it had been since he discovered Rapunzel was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. They had to be on the right track now. Had to be.

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Gothel was starting to get very irritated, and it was really getting on Isabelle's nerves. She understood that the pain Gothel was suffering because of the distance between Flynn Rider and Rapunzel's body was probably not the most pleasant of experiences, but did the old bat have to take it out on Isabelle?

Apparently, she did indeed have to do just that.

"How much farther?" Gothel snapped darkly.

"If we continue at this pace, allowing Rider to follow us," Isabelle said through gritted teeth, "we should arrive at our destination tomorrow evening, perhaps a little sooner. Don't try and rush this."

"Don't tell me what to do," Gothel snarled.

Isabelle decided that now was as good a time as any to turn the other cheek and just be quiet. Because she knew that if she said anything now, she would end up killing Gothel, which would in turn kill Rapunzel. While she certainly didn't care for the young Princess, Isabelle didn't have anything personal against her, and would much rather not have to kill Rapunzel. For one thing, it wouldn't do to have the entire kingdom trying to kill her to avenge the death of their Princess.

So for now, Isabelle would just have to endure all of this griping from Gothel.

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Author's Note: Wow…I really did not expect so much of this chapter to be Flynn thinking about his past. Speaking of which! I'm already working on a fic that tells all about how Eugene grew up to be the Rogue we know and love. I'll start publishing it once this story is done. Or at least this arc of the story, we'll see which comes first.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Twenty-Seven

Rapunzel was still confused, but at least her fear had managed to lessen somewhat. She still ached for Eugene, though not as powerfully as she was used to. Why that was, she still had no idea, but it seemed that Gothel was getting the full force of the pain that Rapunzel was feeling after this prolonged separation from Eugene. A part of Rapunzel felt a dark pleasure at this knowledge, though she instantly felt guilty for that and silently berated herself about it. She wasn't sure why she was feeling bad about this, as Gothel had somehow taken control of her body, but Rapunzel couldn't seem to help feeling bad for the pain that Gothel was suffering. She knew how bad it must hurt, after all.

But no amount of her pity could excuse what Gothel had done to her. The woman had trapped her in her own mind, and Rapunzel couldn't even begin to think of a way out of this new prison that she found herself in. She had thought the tower was bad, but this…this was far worse. Hearing all that Gothel was saying and knowing what the witch planned for Eugene, but being unable to do anything about it…it nearly drove Rapunzel mad just thinking about it.

_Where are you, Eugene_? She thought sadly. He had to be coming for her, otherwise she wouldn't still be alive. _Oh, please let him come soon_!

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Flynn was starting to get frantic. They'd found several more bits of lace and fabric from Rapunzel's nightgown, but no other sign of either the Princess or her captors. It had been two days since the first sign of her had been found, and Flynn looked like hell frozen over and thawed out again. At most, he had gotten maybe three hours of sleep since they found the first bit of lace from Rapunzel's nightgown, and that was just the beginning. He hadn't been able to sit still for more than a few minutes at a time, which was starting to annoy Max, and to top it all off, he hadn't eaten since they left the palace. Granny was starting to suspect that if the separation from Rapunzel didn't kill him, then the lack of food and proper sleep definitely would.

Sighing a little, Granny watched as Flynn pulled out the newest piece of lace and fiddled with it, staring at nothing in particular. The boy needed to find Rapunzel, and to find her fast, or else there would be dire consequences. And Granny wasn't just thinking about him dying. If he didn't reunite with Rapunzel soon, heads would roll, with Flynn being the one holding the axe. Not that Granny would do much to stop him at that point, because she was getting as impatient as he was. Her magic told her that they were getting closer to their goal, but Rapunzel and her captors were still moving. Always moving…and it was starting to get irritating, and not just because they were eluding Granny. She wanted her granddaughter back safe and sound.

Suddenly Granny pulled sharply at the reins, causing her mount to stop short as the old woman looked around curiously.

"What is it?" Flynn asked, bringing Max to a much gentler stop.

"We're close," Granny murmured. "Very close…"

Flynn's eyes blazed dangerously and Granny almost regretted telling him this. Almost, but not quite. She was just as angry about this as Flynn, though in a different way. Granny kept her eyes on Flynn as he tightly gripped the hilt of his sword before turning towards where her premonition said their quarry was located.

"This way," she said in a low voice, as though afraid to alert someone to their presence.

"I'm ready," Flynn replied, also in a low voice.

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Isabelle was perhaps more relieved than Gothel when they reached the small cave in the mountains that had always been their destination. The older woman had begun complaining so much, she sounded like a small spoiled child. Not exactly something that endeared her to Isabelle, to say the least.

"We're here," she snapped. "Now all we have to do is wait, because we will need Rider here to fulfill your grand scheme, as you should know by now. We've discussed it enough."

Gothel didn't answer, as she was too busy fighting to regain her breath, clutching at her chest and snarling with each gasp for air. "This…is…ridiculous!" she snapped when she had filled her lungs enough to blurt out a complete sentence.

"I'm sure it is," Isabelle said calmly, "But for now, you'll just have to live with it."

Green eyes lifted to glower at Isabelle, who was once more struck by how unfit for such expressions Rapunzel's face was. Rapunzel's face was round, soft, and very child-like. It simply didn't seem right for such a face to be twisted into evil glares and snarls. But Isabelle pushed those thoughts out of her head quickly. The last thing she needed was to start pitying the Princess. If she allowed herself to pity Rapunzel, then all her own carefully-laid plans would be for naught. That was the last thing that she wanted. After all, she had been waiting for this opportunity for years.

Sitting down across from Gothel, she calmly met the older woman's gaze, her own eyebrow arched challengingly. "You know that I'm right," she said after a moment of silence. "So don't give me that look."

Gothel, however, insisted on giving Isabelle a dirty look, but Isabelle refused to let it trouble her too much. After all, she had started to grow used to such looks from her companion. Setting her jaw and turning her gaze towards the horizon beyond the cave's entrance, Isabelle sighed heavily. All they had to do now was wait. Not a very welcome thought, especially considering who her companion was, but still there was nothing that Isabelle could do about it at this point. Sitting down on one of the many large rocks inside of the cave, Isabelle adjusted her skirts and waited.

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The trail that Granny had been following since they first started tracking Rapunzel and her captors pointed directly up the mountain. Specifically, to a cave, if the magic she was using was to be trusted. Well…magic had never failed Granny before, so she was willing to put her trust in it this time. Perhaps they would be able to succeed in this without too much difficulty. A small hope, but at least it was better than the alternative.

"This way," she said, pointing up the side of the mountain. "We'll have to leave the horses here. They can't climb up there."

Max looked a little insulted by this—with good reason, Flynn thought with a wry smile—but he didn't seem to argue too much when Flynn dismounted and tied him to a nearby tree. Or maybe that was just because the stallion heard the two other horses that Flynn spotted. Either way, at least Max wouldn't be trying to follow them.

"Looks like they had to leave their horses, too," he pointed out to Granny. "But…why only two?"

Granny frowned at this and exchanged confused glances with Flynn. The fact that she didn't know either was rather…disturbing to Flynn, as she was the one with magic who knew more stuff than he did. Oh boy.

"I don't know why, but at least we know that they're here," she said with a sigh. "You'll have to help me, Eugene. My old bones aren't as good at climbing as they used to be."

Flynn didn't quite buy that, but he wasn't about to say so out loud. If it got them up the mountain faster, then he was willing to help Granny climb up. Not that he was in much better shape than she was, he thought darkly. Still, he clambered up the first few boulders and held out a hand for Granny to take. It took them longer than it would have if Flynn were at his most fit, but shorter than he had anticipated it would, which was a pleasant surprise. The only one he got once they reached the entrance to the cave.

There were two women there, one was cloaked and her hood pulled low over her face which prevented Flynn from identifying her. The other figure, however, was one he recognized instantly from the way his heart leapt in anticipation. Rapunzel wasn't bound, but judging from how drawn her face was, the pain she was feeling would easily prevent her from running away. Without thinking, Flynn took a step forward, his boot sending a loose stone skidding into the cave, which caused both the women inside to look at him.

That was when he realized something was terribly wrong with Rapunzel. She smiled up at him, but it wasn't the usual beaming smile that she gave him, and there wasn't any of the relief that usually filled her expression when they hadn't been touching for too long. And her eyes…her smile didn't reach her eyes, and seemed more angry than anything else. But he didn't quite know what was wrong until she spoke.

"Flynn!" she cried. "You came for me!"

Rapunzel _never_ called him Flynn anymore. Whoever it was inside of Rapunzel's body, it wasn't the Princess. Flynn's vision became hazed with red as his temper flared up dangerously. "You're not her," he snarled.

Instantly, the false smile fell away from Rapunzel's face; because it really was still her face, even though someone else was controlling her. The look that she now gave him was one of intense hatred, a look that really shouldn't have ever crossed that face. It's just so…wrong. So…so very Gothel, he realized with a start. He was only made absolutely certain of this fact when she spoke.

"Very clever of you, Rider," she sneered. Again, so wrong. Rapunzel's voice wasn't meant for sneering. "But you're too late to save Rapunzel. She's not going to come out anytime soon."

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Rapunzel had been dozing when she heard Gothel's distant voice—she still wasn't used to hearing Gothel use her voice to speak—calling out a name. And not just any name, but the name of the one person she had been praying for. Flynn, Gothel said, but Rapunzel instantly cried out in delight.

"Eugene!"

He couldn't hear her, but Rapunzel could hear him just fine.

"You're not her."

In an instant, Rapunzel was shouting and screaming, trying to be heard by the real world. To no avail, as Eugene didn't call out to her in response. Gothel's hold on her was too tight at this point. Frowning to herself, Rapunzel looked around her and realized that this mental prison she was in looked exactly like her tower had before the day when she had first lost Eugene. Blinking a little at this, she began pounding her bare feet against the stone floor, hoping that would reveal the hidden trap door that she hadn't known about for eighteen years. Nothing. Not that she had really expected to discover it that way. She couldn't remember the exact location of it anymore, as she had tried her best to forget about that last day in her tower, so she went to the window. Her hair was too short for her to use like she would have only a few months ago, when she was still wistfully dreaming of seeing the gleaming lanterns, but she remembered that Eugene had used crossbow bolts to climb up the wall. Looking around for something similar, Rapunzel gave a soft cry of delight when she spotted her painting supplies. The brushes were about as thick as crossbow bolts, and just as strong. They would do.

Slipping carefully out of the window with two sturdy paintbrushes in hand, Rapunzel used her toes to find footholds in the stone as she shoved the ends of the paintbrushes into the cracks between stones. Slowly, but surely, she made her way down the wall of the tower, never stopping to glance down. She knew how tall it was already, and the last thing she wanted at this moment was to get dizzy and fall. When her bare feet touched soft grass, she gave a sigh of relief and sagged against the wall. But there was still the problem of how to get back to the real world and force Gothel out of her body. Frowning to herself, Rapunzel looked around at the familiar valley, wondering where she should go. Eugene needed her help, after all.

She finally decided to just walk to the secret entrance to the valley that was hidden behind the vines. That was as good a place to start as any. Pushing away from the tower wall, Rapunzel began to slowly make her way towards the opening, her jaw set firmly.

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Flynn wanted to strike Gothel, but he couldn't, because if he did then he would be hurting Rapunzel just as much as Gothel. The old woman's spirit or whatever the hell it was saw this and leered at him in fiendish delight.

"You can't kill me," she said with a triumphant laugh. "Because to do so means killing your Princess, and by extension yourself."

That was when Granny stepped forward, and Flynn had never been more grateful for the old woman than he was right now. She stood taller than he remembered, her hand clutching what Flynn thought was a knitting needle at first, but turned out to be something different. Blue eyes flashed dangerously as Granny faced Rapunzel's body. Gothel must know Granny, because she blanched when she met the old woman's gaze, and shrank back in obvious fear.

Now Flynn was just confused. Granny couldn't possibly be as old as Gothel and still be the mother of the king…could she? So how did Gothel know Granny? And…magic was stupid. It made his brain hurt. What was the connection between these two women? Looking from one to the other, Flynn sighed in exasperation before he noticed the other woman, the one in the cloak. And who was _she_ in all this? But she wasn't acting threatening at the moment, so Flynn wasn't going to bother with her just now. Right now, he was focusing on Gothel.

"Get out of her," Granny snarled. "If you must inhabit a body…take mine."

"What?" Flynn shouted in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"Hush, Flynn," Granny said firmly. "This is my decision, and not yours."

She must be angry, or at least irritated with him, because she had called him Flynn. She only did that when she really wanted his attention, Flynn had noticed. Frowning a little, he opened his mouth to protest, but Granny continued to glare darkly at him. Coughing and closing his mouth, Flynn turned his gaze to Gothel.

Gothel was considering this very carefully for a moment before an evil grin crossed her face. "Very well," she said with a chuckle. "It's on your head if anything happens."

Closing her eyes, Gothel sighed heavily and a dark mist moved from between Rapunzel's lips towards Granny's body. Flynn made a move to stop the mist—let it go into him if he had to, but not someone as weak as Granny or Rapunzel!—but was stopped by something. It had to be Granny's magic, because no one was making a physical move to stop him. Struggling against the strange force, Flynn watched in horror as the mist entered Granny's body, glowing a sickly green before Granny slowly opened her eyes.

"Hello again, Flynn Rider," she said with a sneer.

Gothel had taken over Granny's body.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Twenty-Eight

Rapunzel slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a cave. When had that happened, she wondered. But her confusion was soon replaced by sweeping relief when she saw that Eugene was kneeling beside her, his hands cupped over her face. The feel of his skin on hers soothed the aching pain in her chest and Rapunzel quickly sat up to return the favor. He had to be in just as much pain as she was, and the last thing she wanted was for her Eugene to suffer. A sigh of relief escaped Eugene's lips as he rested her forehead against hers, the waves of soothing relief washing over both of them.

"Eugene…where's Gothel?" she asked in a low voice, not willing to open her eyes as she continued to run her hands over his face.

A look of anger crossed Eugene's face, and for a moment, Rapunzel was afraid that he was angry with her, but then she noticed that he was also giving her a guilty look. Meeting his gaze questioningly, Rapunzel wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"What happened?" she insisted, still not wanting to look anywhere else just yet. Not until he told her what had happened that made him so angry.

Eugene wrapped his arms tightly around her middle and held her close, as though he was afraid of losing her again. His grip was almost painful, but Rapunzel was willing to put up with that just now as she had been so far away from him for too long.

"Gothel…she…" but Eugene couldn't continue what he was saying. Whatever had happened had made him far too angry to even say it.

"Is right here," a new voice said. Rapunzel gave a start of surprise when she recognized that voice as belonging to Granny, of all people! Still holding tight to Eugene, Rapunzel looked over his shoulder to see Granny standing beside the other woman—Isabelle, Rapunzel guessed—both of them looking supremely satisfied about something.

"A new body for me to use, which allows me to deal with you both as I see fit," Granny mused, and instantly Rapunzel knew that it wasn't Granny speaking. That was why she had been able to wake up at all. Gothel had found a new host. "Oh, don't look so surprised, Rapunzel," the old woman chided, giving Rapunzel a disapproving look. "You should have known that I wasn't going to use your body forever. No…far too much effort."

Rapunzel continued to hold Eugene tight, the contact giving them both greater strength than they had felt in the last few days. She also noticed that Eugene was also carrying a sword now. But would he actually kill Granny to ensure Gothel's death? Glancing up at Eugene, Rapunzel felt a chill when she saw the determined look on his face. Closing her eyes and taking a steadying breath, Rapunzel waited to see what Eugene would do.

"Isabelle," Gothel said with a snap of her fingers. "I believe now is the best time to put our plan into action."

"Of course," the younger woman purred, pulling out a dagger.

Fear gripped Rapunzel and beside her, she could feel Eugene stiffening as he remembered the last time he had come in contact with a dagger. Gripping Eugene's arm tightly for a brief moment, Rapunzel watched out of the corner of her eye as he slowly moved his hand towards the hilt of his sword. But to their surprise, and mild horror, Isabelle didn't come for them.

Instead, she came up behind Gothel and with a twisted smile, stabbed the dagger up into Gothel's chest. There was a loud cry of pain from Gothel as the blade found her heart, and then the old woman was slumping forward, blood streaming from her wound.

"No!" Eugene shouted, no doubt thinking of Granny.

Rapunzel, however, was still looking at Isabelle. Holding the bloody dagger tight in her hand, the dark-haired woman bent down over Granny's body and smirked as she murmured a soft incantation. "Now that old witch can never come back," she said in satisfaction. Turning to look at Rapunzel and Eugene, she arched a delicate eyebrow. "Now…what am I ever going to do with the two of you?" she asked in mock confusion.

"You could try letting us go for starters," Eugene said sarcastically, his hand still on his sword hilt, ready to attack.

The look that Isabelle gave Eugene was so filled with hate that it scared Rapunzel. She had never seen anyone look so…so awful. Not even Gothel had ever looked at anyone with that much hatred. Anger, disappointment, irritation, yes, but never so much hatred that it made you want to run away and die in a corner somewhere. Why did Isabelle hate Eugene so much?

"Don't think that you can charm _me_ out of killing you, Flynn Rider," she snarled.

"Uh…" Eugene said in surprise, glancing at Rapunzel. That was certainly not what he had expected to happen.

Rapunzel frowned a little and wished that she had her frying pan on hand. At least then she could do _something_ to help. Glancing around as though that would make the desired object appear, she was surprised to see that it was lying at the entrance along with Flynn's saddle bag. Unfortunately, the bag and frying pan were behind Isabelle. Glancing at the other woman, however, Rapunzel was sure that she could manage to get to the items in question without drawing too much attention to herself. Giving Eugene's hand a squeeze before reluctantly releasing him, Rapunzel began slowly inching her way around Isabelle.

"You really don't know who I am, do you?" Isabelle said with a snarl.

"Not even close," Eugene replied flatly. "Then again, I _have_ met a lot of people in my life, so I might have met you at some point, but to be perfectly honest, I haven't got a clue about who you are."

Isabelle's face twisted with rage, which surprised Flynn a little more than he cared to admit. Okay, granted, he had messed up a lot of things in his life before, and broken quite a few hearts, but he would have remembered if he had ever met this particular woman before. She had a very memorable face, after all. Well, maybe he might have met her, but he honestly couldn't say that he had. Watching Rapunzel out of the corner of his eye, Flynn made sure that she wasn't in this strange woman's line of sight before speaking again.

"Well…since I can't remember you, mind telling me who you are?"

Her face was still filled with unadulterated hate, which was making Flynn just a touch nervous, but he had no time for that as she started speaking. "I know who you are, Flynn Rider," she said in a hiss. "You and I have much in common."

Flynn started to say that no, they sure as hell didn't, but she continued speaking.

"Our father, for instance."

That did it. Flynn was effectively shut up, and as he glanced at Rapunzel, he saw that she had frozen in shock where she was, just slightly behind Isabelle. His father? Flynn knew that Lord Herbert had at least one other illegitimate child, but…he'd never known about this one.

"What?" he asked dumbly.

"You heard me," the woman snapped dangerously. "I am Isabelle, the daughter of Lord Herbert, and your sister."

"…Uh-huh…" Flynn murmured.

Rapunzel had started to move again, but her eyes were fixed on Isabelle as she did so. Flynn couldn't really blame her. This Isabelle looked rather crazed at the moment.

"You at least had an opportunity to hide from the shame that comes from having a father who is not married to your mother," Isabelle snarled. "From the moment I knew about you, I hated you for that. Why should you have the right to change who you were and hide from the ridicule of the world, while I had to face it because I was a mere girl?" She had begun pacing now, and Flynn held his breath as she passed close to Rapunzel. Thankfully, Isabelle seemed too focused on her story to notice the princess who was now rifling through Flynn's saddle bag. "But, as you know, I was not the only girl who had to suffer that fate."

Flynn froze at this and felt as though his chest was being crushed, preventing him from breathing properly. "Edith…" he whispered in a choked voice.

Once more, Rapunzel froze and gazed curiously at Flynn, no doubt wondering who Edith was, along with what the hell Isabelle was talking about. Flynn didn't respond to her questioning gaze, though. He was too busy staring in wonder at Isabelle.

"How did you know about Edith?" he demanded.

"It wasn't difficult," Isabelle said with a smirk. "All I had to do was follow the gossip about our father and his bastard children, and I found her soon enough. Oh, don't look at me like that," she added, seeing the horrified look on Flynn's face. "I didn't harm her. I had no reason to. _You_, on the other hand," she hissed, pointing her bloodstained dagger at him. "You left our sister, and you managed to escape what she and I have suffered through for our entire lives!"

"I didn't—" Flynn started to say.

"Don't deny it," Isabelle snapped. "You abandoned the both of us, and I have hated you for that for my entire life." Kneeling down in front of the former thief, she sneered dangerously. "There is no way you could understand how long I have planned for this moment," she hissed, running the flat of her blade over Flynn's cheek, the edge of her blade dangerously close to his throat.

Flynn swallowed sharply and glanced past Isabelle at Rapunzel. She had gotten her frying pan now, and was slowly making her way towards Isabelle, pan at the ready and her face grim.

"I can feel the anticipation," Flynn deadpanned, meeting Isabelle's crazed gaze. "It's thick enough to slice through."

Isabelle's smirk turned even deadlier—if that was even possible—and pressed the tip of her dagger to Flynn's jugular vein. "Don't get smart with me," she hissed. "I know the connection that exists between you and the princess, and I am perfectly willing to kill her to make you suffer. If you want to keep her alive at least a little longer—"

Her words were cut off with a loud _CLANG_ as Rapunzel brought the frying pan down hard on Isabelle's head, her face dangerous. "I don't think so," she said with a growl.

Standing up hastily, his hand on the hilt of his sword, Flynn pulled Rapunzel close and hugged her as tightly as he could with only one arm. "Frying pan," he mused with a smile down at her. "Who knew?"

Rapunzel smiled weakly back at him before she wrapped her arms tightly around his middle and buried her face against his chest. "I was scared, Eugene," she said in a low voice.

"I know, Blondie," Flynn murmured against her hair. "I know."

They didn't get a chance to say much more, as Isabelle was already starting to stir. Hastily, Flynn stopped Rapunzel from using her frying pan again and pulled out his sword, staring down at the groaning form of his half-sister. Pointing the sword tip at Isabelle as she pushed herself up, Flynn glared down at her.

"This is when you have a choice," he snarled. "You can die right now for not only trying to kill _me_, but also for kidnapping Rapunzel, which is what really makes me what to kill you. Or, you can turn yourself in peacefully and nobody else has to get hurt."

As he said this, he glanced over at Granny's body and felt his throat tightening a little. He might not have been really fond of Granny, but she had helped him, and she deserved his respect, if nothing else. Beside him, Rapunzel was also looking sadly at Granny's body, but her grip on the frying pan didn't slacken at all.

Isabelle snarled like an angry animal and picked up her dagger from the ground, lunging at Flynn with a scream.

Pushing Rapunzel out of the way hastily, Flynn brought his sword up to block the smaller blade. Isabelle only became angrier at this and pressed harder against the sword, her eyes filled with an animalistic hatred as she tried to get past Flynn's weapon. That wasn't an easy task for her, though, as Flynn met each of her attacks with a parry of his own. Rapunzel pressed against the wall of the cave, watching in horror as Flynn used his sword to force Isabelle's dagger out of her hand, the tip of his sword swinging around to point at her.

"I guess we're going to do this the hard way," he growled as Isabelle glowered at him.

Isabelle once more launched herself at him, though she had to know that she had no weapon to defend herself. Out of reflex, Flynn brought his sword up to defend himself and gasped in shock as Isabelle calmly impaled herself on his sword, gripping the blade in one hand as though to drive it deeper into her body.

"If I can't kill you…" she hissed, blood flowing from her wound, "Then I have no reason…to remain alive."

Flynn pulled the sword out of her with a horrified look as she collapsed on the floor, next to Granny. Rapunzel looked up at him in shock before she slowly walked over to his side, her hand instinctively finding his. It was over…but they were both too numb to really realize this. Still holding Rapunzel's hand tight in his, Flynn knelt down beside Granny and sighed heavily.

"Thanks," he said quietly before unhooking the old woman's cloak and used it to cover her body. "Sorry I wasn't nicer."

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They walked down the mountainside in silence, Flynn helping Rapunzel most of the way, as the rocks cut at her bare feet if she wasn't careful. Once they reached the spot where Max and the other horses were tied up, Rapunzel hastily rushed over to the white stallion and wrapped her arms around his large neck. Max seemed to appreciate this, as he nuzzled Rapunzel fondly, whickering a little in worry when he felt the tears that she was crying fall on his fur. The horse looked up at Flynn as if asking for an explanation and Flynn shook his head. Not just now, he didn't think.

With a glance at Rapunzel to ensure himself that she was going to be all right with Max for a minute, Flynn walked over to the other horses and, after untying them, removed their saddles and bridles, slapping them on their backsides to send them running off. Someone else would find them and take care of them, he was sure. The only horse that hesitated was Granny's old mare, but after a moment or two, even she wandered off slowly. Sighing heavily, Flynn walked back over to Rapunzel and helped her mount Max before joining her.

"Let's go home, Max," he said quietly.

The last place he wanted to stay was here. And, judging by the miserable look on Rapunzel's face, she felt the same.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Twenty-Nine

Both Rapunzel and Flynn were remarkably quiet as they rode towards the capital city, Flynn's arms wrapped tight around Rapunzel's waist, as though afraid of letting her go, even for a moment. This was partly true, as he had come too close to losing her again for him to be comfortable with letting her go, even for a few moments. Rapunzel didn't seem to mind, though, so he didn't bother releasing her. They didn't stop to set up camp that night, as they were both too frightened of what the night might hold for them, so they kept going. Max didn't complain or show signs of tiring, and Flynn had never been more grateful for the large horse than he was at that time.

It wasn't until the second morning of their journey home that Rapunzel spoke. Flynn had thought she was still asleep in his arms, so he was rather surprised to hear her voice.

"Was Isabelle really your sister, Eugene?" she asked quietly, resting her head against his shoulder.

It wasn't exactly a topic that Flynn wanted to discuss at this point, but he couldn't ever deny Rapunzel anything she asked for. Sighing as he thought about his answer, Flynn mentally reconstructed Isabelle's face. Not the way it had been when she died, crazed and filled with hatred, but the way it had looked before, coldly beautiful and distant. Flynn had seen his father once, several years after he ran away from the orphanage, and now that he thought about it, Isabelle shared a lot of traits with the "honorable" Lord Herbert. She had the same strong jaw and deep-set eyes, as well as the nose that Flynn had also inherited.

"Yeah…I think she was," he finally said after a moment. "My dad wasn't exactly…a very discreet person."

Rapunzel's cute little nose wrinkled in confusion. "What does that mean?"

Flynn sighed again, remembering with a slight smile that she wasn't as worldly as him. "It means that he got a lot of women who weren't his wife pregnant," he explained. "Not that he ever had a wife, but that didn't make what he did right."

Her look of confusion was quickly replaced by one of comprehension, then disappointment. Clearly, she was still unused to the idea of how badly some people could behave. "Why did he do it, then, if it wasn't right?"

An excellent question. One Flynn probably would have asked his father if he ever met the man in person. "Because…some people just aren't as good as you are, Rapunzel," he finally said with a shrug. "And my dad was a bit of an idiot."

If Mrs. Miller was to be believed, and Flynn had never had any reason to doubt her when she spoke of his mother. Apparently, his mother had been in love with Lord Herbert, and would have married him, but the man was too concerned about his image and refused to marry a lowly peasant girl. So Flynn had been born in an orphanage, losing his mother before he ever met her. Frowning a little at that thought, Flynn tightened his hold on Rapunzel.

"That's not a nice thing to say about your father," Rapunzel scolded, but her tone was half-hearted, as if she agreed with his assessment of his father.

"I never met the guy," Flynn said, as if that justified what he had said. "Not in person, anyway. But what I saw didn't give me much reason to like him."

He felt Rapunzel wrap her small arms around his middle, giving him a comforting hug as she gently kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry about that," she murmured. "And about Isabelle, too." She was silent for a long moment before she asked another question that Flynn was not eager to answer. "Isabelle mentioned someone named Edith…who was she?"

Groaning mentally at the question, Flynn sighed and pulled Max to a stop. "I think this is a conversation to have on the ground," he muttered as he slid off the horse's back. That and his backside was starting to protest how long he had been in the saddle, but he wasn't about to admit that. Helping Rapunzel down, Flynn led her to a pair of large rocks and sat down across from her. "I told you I was an orphan," he said slowly.

Rapunzel nodded and took his hands in hers, instinctively knowing that the touch would help to calm Flynn. It did help a little, but not much. Still, Flynn was grateful for the effort on her part.

"Well…that was only because my dad didn't want me," he sighed. "He gave me up after finding out about me, so I was raised with other kids whose parents had died. When I was four…another girl got pregnant with my dad's kid. She died having the baby, so she was raised with me. Her name was Edith." Flynn paused and looked up at Rapunzel, as though he expected to see judgment in her eyes. Instead, all he found was sympathy and adoration. Smiling weakly at her, he cleared his throat before continuing. "She was my little sister, so I took care of her while I could, but when I was eight…I ran away." He grimaced a little at that memory. "I was tired of people talking about me like I had some sort of disease, so I left. But I couldn't take Edith with me…"

He broke off there, not willing to meet Rapunzel's gaze as he remembered the last time he had seen Edith. She had been playing in the garden and fallen over, scraping her knee. Flynn had gone over and washed off the scrape before sitting her down and reading her some of _The Tales of Flynnigan Rider_ to make her feel better. He hadn't told her of his plan to run away. He hadn't even said goodbye, just left his copy of their favorite book and left without any explanation.

Rapunzel, however, appeared determined to not be ignored, as she moved over to sit on Flynn's lap, resting her head against his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to upset you…I just wanted to know."

"It's okay, Blondie," Flynn sighed, hugging her back. "It needed to be asked, and you had a right to know."

Behind them, Max snorted and looked up from where he had been grazing, as though asking to know when they were going to leave again. Glancing down at Rapunzel, Flynn motioned the horse over and then gently patted Rapunzel's back.

"We should keep going," he said quietly. "Still a long way to go."

Rapunzel nodded and once more let him help her up into the saddle before he climbed up to join her. Settling comfortably against his back, she smiled a little sadly as she wrapped her arms around him, turning so that she was riding side-saddle.

"I think I'm going to sleep some more," she murmured softly.

"Go ahead," Flynn replied. "I'll make sure you don't fall over."

She made a face at him for even suggesting that she would fall over, but she didn't say anything as her large green eyes fluttered closed, leaving Flynn alone with his thoughts.

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They reached the palace early the next day, with Max snorting loudly to alert Flynn to this fact. Looking up from watching Rapunzel's sleeping face, Flynn sighed heavily and reached forward to pet the horse's neck.

"Thanks, buddy," he said quietly as he reached down to softly shake Rapunzel awake. "Wake up, Blondie," he murmured. "We're home."

She shifted with a yawn and stretched idly, smiling sleepily up at Flynn before she slipped off of Max's back and moved to hug the horse around the neck. Murmuring a soft thank you against the horse's fur, Rapunzel stroked Max's neck before she beamed up at Flynn and held her hand out to him. Smiling back weakly, Flynn accepted her hand and pulled her close, slapping Max's backside as he passed, letting the horse know he could go back to the stables. The one thing that Flynn didn't want to do just now was face the king and queen to tell them about Granny's death, but at the moment, that seemed to be what he had to do. Not a pleasant thought, especially considering the fact that apparently Granny was the king's mom. Sighing heavily as he gently wrapped an arm around Rapunzel's waist, Flynn made his way up the stairs and into the palace itself. Best get this over with.

The first thing that Flynn noticed was that no one tried to stop them, even though they could clearly see that the Princess was barefoot and wearing nothing but a tattered nightgown. All the servants just seemed to watch as they made their way through the halls, trying to find the king and queen. When they reached the throne room, both the king and queen didn't bother with ceremony, simply rushing forward to wrap their arms around their daughter, and even Flynn, to his surprise.

What? Why were they hugging him? Glancing at Rapunzel, Flynn caught her loving smile and felt like his heart had just melted.

"Tell us everything," the queen said quietly. "Where…where is…?"

Neither Flynn nor Rapunzel had the heart to meet her eyes as they began explaining all that had happened to them. In the end, everyone but Flynn was in tears by the time they finished telling their story. Flynn wasn't surprised by this. He hadn't cried since he was a little kid. You just don't cry when you're trying to set yourself up as a badass. It was very hard for him to manage to cry at anything, no matter how upset he felt about it.

When they all broke away from one another, Flynn found that Rapunzel was still holding him tight and he wrapped his arms around her waist, just to help her feel better. It seemed to work a little, but Flynn was pretty sure that they both were still feeling miserable.

"I think…I think Rapunzel and I need to get some rest," he said with a sigh. "I'm sorry…"

The king nodded and his wife instantly wrapped her arms around him as Flynn and Rapunzel made their way slowly to their bedroom.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Thirty

Flynn woke up with a start when he felt Rapunzel crying against his chest. It was a nice change to not be woken up by Pascal's tongue shoved in his ear, but the last thing that Flynn wanted was for Rapunzel to be crying. Rubbing her back a little to soothe her, Flynn gently kissed her forehead and held her close.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently.

Rapunzel didn't answer for a few moments or so, her face buried against his chest as she continued to cry softly. This only further confused Flynn as he watched her, but when she looked up at him, her eyes filled with fear, he started to understand.

"A nightmare?" he asked, gently drying her tears away with his thumb.

She nodded sadly and held him tighter. "I saw you…Isabelle killed you," she said in a choked voice. "I didn't used to have nightmares…and then…"

Flynn grimaced a little at this and nodded. "Then I died. Right?" he muttered.

Once more, Rapunzel nodded as she clutched at Flynn, as though afraid that he would disappear if she wasn't careful. "Then you died. Do people always have nightmares?"

"Not always," Flynn sighed a little. "But when something really bad happens…yeah, then people have nightmares."

He had them quite frequently. Not about losing Rapunzel, though he had a couple dreams like that, but also about what happened to Edith after he abandoned her. Those usually ended with him staring up at the ceiling in a cold sweat, hoping he hadn't woken up Rapunzel. So far, he hadn't seemed to wake her up when he had the dreams, but he never could tell. Rapunzel had proved that she could be a wonderful actress when she really wanted to be.

Kissing the top of Rapunzel's head, Flynn rubbed her back more and sighed. "But I promise, Rapunzel…I am never going anywhere again. Not for a very long time."

Tilting her head up to meet Flynn's gaze, Rapunzel chewed on her lower lip for a moment or two before she nodded her understanding. Watching her lower lip for a moment, Flynn smiled softly before he cupped his hands over her cheeks and softly pressed his lips against hers to further assure her. This seemed to work, as Rapunzel wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. Her kiss was still timid and unsure, but Flynn didn't mind at all as he held her closer to his body. When they pulled out of the kiss, they kept their arms tight around each other, Rapunzel resting her forehead against his. Then, quite against his will, Flynn heard himself saying something he had meant to wait to ask for a couple years at least.

"Marry me?"

Rapunzel's head snapped up in shock as she stared at Flynn as though he had just said something in a foreign language. At first, Flynn didn't quite realize what he had said, and then he got a look on his face similar to a child who had been caught stealing the last cookie.

"Uh…I didn't…we don't…I don't want to rush you, Blondie," he stammered for a moment before feeling Rapunzel's fingers covering his lips.

"Not now," she murmured softly, running her fingers over his lips and then up along his cheek. "I love you…"

"And I love you," Flynn said firmly.

"…But I don't think…I'm ready for that," Rapunzel finished, looking very sheepish.

Sighing a little, Flynn smiled fondly at her and kissed her forehead tenderly. "It's okay, Blondie," he assured her. "I was just…getting ahead of myself."

Smiling weakly, Rapunzel nestled against Flynn, tucking her head under his chin as she did so. "I don't mind it," she admitted. "I'm not ready, though. And I don't think my parents would like me getting married so soon," she mused.

Flynn groaned a little at that and kissed the top of her head. "Yeah…and I really don't need your dad threatening to kill me anytime soon."

Rapunzel smacked his arm playfully and giggled a little at that thought. "He wouldn't." She paused for a moment and then looked up at Flynn in concern. "Would he?"

Chuckling a little at this question, Flynn shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. He doesn't like me very much for how much time I spend with you that you could be spending with him, I don't think."

Pondering this for a moment, Rapunzel sat up and ran a hand through her cropped hair. "I think I need a bath," she said after a moment of silence. "I'm going to go do that."

Bending down to kiss Flynn softly, she hopped off the bed and padded to the bathroom, leaving Flynn alone on the bed, wondering about what he had just asked.

He had asked Rapunzel to marry him. Oh, sure, he had planned to do that anyway, just not for at least a year. She was still really young and naïve, and then there was the fact that her parents had had only a short time with her before he came back into her life and, to be perfectly honest, stole all her attention away from her parents. That was why he had planned to wait before asking. As much as he loved Rapunzel—and he was no longer afraid to admit that was what he felt for the young Princess—Flynn didn't want her to make her parents sad by marrying young.

Though, now he thought about it, a long engagement wouldn't be a bad thing. It could go on for a year, at least. Hell…some of the older girls at the orphanage where Flynn grew up had gotten engaged while they were there—a miracle, considering how they were _orphans_—and those engagements had lasted from the time they were sixteen until they were eighteen or so. Maybe a long engagement wasn't such a bad idea, he mused thoughtfully. He could go down into the city and buy her a ring, but explain to her that the ring didn't mean that they had to get married right away. Not a bad idea really…

"Hey, Blondie?" Flynn called, slipping out of bed and getting dressed. "I'm going to go into the city for a while…you going to be okay without me?"

There was a pause before Rapunzel answered. "Yes," she said in a low voice. "I'll…I'll send Pascal if I need you."

"Okay…" Flynn murmured. "Blondie? I promise I'll be back soon."

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In the end, Flynn found himself being stalked by Max when he went into the city. Sighing heavily in exasperation as he walked, the sound of Max's hooves on the cobblestones behind him a constant source of irritation.

"What?" he finally demanded, turning around and walking backwards so that he could look at the horse. "Are you trying to make sure that I'm not going to run away? Because we both know at this point that I'm not going to."

Max only whickered slightly and tossed his head. Hell of an answer, Flynn thought to himself with a sigh as he turned around again. Rolling his eyes slightly, the former thief made his way with firm steps to the nearest jewelry store.

They had several rings that were likely candidates, but they all struck Flynn as a little too…well a little too gaudy for Rapunzel. She didn't need a huge ring to show off the fact that she belonged to him. Sure, that would really help keep Flynn's ego healthy and strong, but Rapunzel was the sort of girl who would look better with a simple engagement ring, kind of like the ones that all the orphan girl's beaus got them. Of course, those rings were all that the poor butchers and bakers and candle-stick makers could afford, but that was a different story entirely.

Finally, he spotted the perfect ring for Rapunzel. Grinning broadly, he purchased the ring and made his way back up to the palace, sighing in exasperation when Max took up his post following him again. Holding up the ring to show to the horse, Flynn gave Max a dark look.

"A little more trust in our relationship wouldn't be a bad thing, you know," he commented. "Because I'm not about to run out on Rapunzel anytime soon, you big idiot."

Max sniffed the ring and then trotted off to the stables, much to Flynn's relief. Pocketing the ring, he made his way to the room he shared with Rapunzel and smiled to himself when he saw her brushing her hair out. Coming up behind her, he gently kissed her cheek and ran his fingers through her hair. He'd ask her again later, he decided as Rapunzel beamed up at him. Right now…he was going to enjoy the moment.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I only own this plot, though I would love to own Tangled.

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Chapter Thirty-One

Eugene woke up before either Pascal or Rapunzel; something that he had trained himself to do in order to avoid having a chameleon tongue shoved into his ear. It was a skill that he was enormously proud of at this point, as for the last six months, he and Pascal had been having a sort of war with one another, trying to see who could wake up the earliest. Eugene had won in the end, and so Pascal had learned to not always wake the former thief up with his tongue. Though that didn't mean the chameleon stopped this method of waking up Eugene. Far from it. He just did it when Eugene was least expecting it.

Today, however, was one of those days when Eugene got the better of the little chameleon. Smirking a little to himself, Eugene yawned slightly and glanced over at the small table next to his side of the bed, where he had placed the ring he purchased for Rapunzel. He'd waited a while to ask her…maybe today would be a good day for it. Maybe. Smiling a little as he looked down at Rapunzel's sleeping face, Eugene nodded to himself before bending down to softly kiss her temple.

"Mornin', Blondie," he greeted softly as her eyes fluttered open.

She glanced up at him and smiled sleepily. "Pascal didn't wake you up today," she mused with a soft laugh.

"Nope," Eugene said brightly. "I outsmarted the frog again."

Rapunzel didn't bother to correct him about Pascal's species as she nestled against him, smiling lovingly against his chest. "He doesn't like it when you call him that," she murmured.

"Yeah, well, I don't like his tongue in my ear, but he still does it," Eugene pointed out. "Life's not really fair that way."

The banter continued on for a while, as it did every morning, punctuated by gentle kisses and loving caresses as they both attempted to get ready for the day quickly. They never did get anything done quickly in the mornings, not since Rapunzel had discovered how wonderful kissing was. Eugene had known about the wonders of kissing for years, of course, but when Rapunzel discovered something new that she enjoyed, she always took to it with enthusiasm. Not that Eugene was complaining on that count.

Standing behind Rapunzel with a smile, Eugene wrapped his arms around her middle and softly kissed the side of her neck, a new expression of affection that Rapunzel had grown quite fond of. She hummed in delight at this and tilted her head to one side, letting Eugene continue kissing her neck if he wanted to. Eugene certainly wanted to, but he didn't, simply nuzzling against her skin.

"Love you, Blondie," he murmured softly.

"I love you, too," she replied happily.

"Marry me?"

Rapunzel blinked a little at this and glanced at Eugene questioningly. "I thought I answered that," she said quietly. "Not…not yet."

"Hey, can't blame a guy for trying," Eugene said with a shrug, still grinning at her. "And it wouldn't have to be right away. I can wait, just…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring he had bought six months ago. "At least promise that you will at some point?"

Instantly, Rapunzel's eyes were drawn to the ring that he held in his hand. It wasn't too big or showy, but still beautiful. A lovely gold band with a decent-sized diamond cut in a teardrop shape, and there were beautiful engravings of flowers on the band of the ring. Looking from the ring to Eugene and back, Rapunzel opened and closed her mouth a few times before she answered.

"I…" she paused and then smiled brilliantly at Eugene. "Yes. But not yet," she reminded him firmly. "Not for a while."

"Okay," Eugene said, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. "I can live with that."

Slowly slipping the ring onto Rapunzel's finger, he kissed her knuckles gently and then pulled her into a soft kiss.

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In the end, they didn't get married for nearly two years. Eugene didn't really care about the wait—he hadn't been lying about that part—but it did get old after a while. Of course, before he even thought of making their engagement something official for the whole kingdom to know about, he had to ask for permission from the king and queen. That was not a conversation that he really enjoyed, to say the least, but it was a great deal better than the conversation he had with Edith when they first reunited. _That_ had been painful.

Both Rapunzel and Eugene hadn't planned to go down to the orphanage where Eugene grew up to find his sister. It had just happened. One morning, only a few days after Eugene's successful proposal, Rapunzel had come up to him in the middle of his lessons with Lord Henry—the single most boring Lord in the kingdom, if Eugene was perfectly honest—and dragged him out into the hall.

"I want to go see the orphanage," she declared with a beaming smile.

"Sorry?" Eugene asked in surprise. She couldn't mean what he thought she meant.

"The orphanage where you grew up!" Rapunzel explained, as though he was being stupid on purpose. "I want to see what it's like."

Eugene stared at her as though she had started spouting philosophy in French. Why would she want to do something like that? The orphanage, as he recalled, really wasn't much to look at. Hell, it hadn't been much to _live_ in. "Uh…okay…" he said slowly. "Just one question…_why_?"

Rapunzel gave him a condescending smile and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek tenderly. "Because! It's where you grew up. You've been to my tower after all."

That didn't make much sense to Eugene, but he didn't bother saying as much, as that would probably upset Rapunzel. Smiling a little at her, Eugene gave a sigh like a martyr and wrapped his arms around her. "If you want, Blondie," he said reluctantly. "I don't really see _why_, though."

Well, apparently that had settled it. The very next day, Rapunzel dragged Eugene out of bed and forced him to dress up nicely, all the while chatting away like this was the best day of her life. Of course, Eugene knew that wasn't the case, as the best day of both their lives was still either Rapunzel's eighteenth birthday or the day when they had been reunited in the stables. Still…she was plenty excited, and it was mildly contagious. Eugene soon found himself unable to stop smiling as Rapunzel pulled him to the stables, where they mounted Max and started the ride to the orphanage.

The village where Eugene had grown up was nothing special. Eugene had always known that, but now that he saw it again, he had to say it had lost whatever charms nostalgia had credited to it. Frowning a little at this, Eugene glanced down at Rapunzel, as though hoping that she couldn't see how small and filthy this village really was. And then there was the manor house, which was the starting point of a few less-than-pleasant memories for Eugene, which he definitely didn't want Rapunzel asking him about. Finally, they reached the tiny orphanage.

It really did bring back memories, seeing the little house that had once housed Eugene and about thirty other kids between the ages of brand-new to about seventeen. Of course, it was in a little worse condition after eighteen years, and it didn't have quite as many kids running around playing in the grass. Pulling Max to a stop and jumping out of the saddle, Eugene reached up to help Rapunzel slide off the horse's back, keeping his arms around her for a moment after doing so.

"You sure about this, Blondie?" he asked in a low voice. "Because we don't have to stay here…"

Rapunzel gave him a look that said clearly said that she did want to stay here before moving past him, her large eyes wide with curiosity. Apparently the idea that this place had once housed Eugene as a child held great fascination for her, though Eugene still didn't understand that. Sighing a little, he followed after her with the air of a man being led to his execution.

It wasn't until he saw the young woman on the front porch of the house that Eugene stopped moving. Coming to a halt, he stared in slack-jawed wonder. Her face had lost all of the baby fat and her eyes were much less happy than they had been when Eugene last saw them, but there was no doubting that the woman he was looking at was a twenty-two-year-old Edith. Rapunzel noticed that Eugene wasn't following her anymore and moved over to stand by him, about to ask what was wrong when she followed his gaze. Spotting the young woman on the porch, she turned to give Eugene a questioning look.

"Eugene?" she asked. "Who is that?"

"That…that's my sister," he said in a low voice.

Rapunzel's eyes widened in surprise momentarily before she turned to look closer at Edith, as though trying to pick out the family resemblance. There wasn't much; Eugene had known that since they were both very little. After all, while they had the same father, their mothers had looked very different from one another. Edith's mother had been blonde and breathtaking while Eugene's—from what Mrs. Miller had told him—was dark and exotically beautiful. Edith took after her mother more than their father, with reddish-brown hair that was currently down to her waist—a fact Rapunzel noticed with envy—and pale blue eyes set inside a pale face with a generous amount of freckles. There was one similarity between both Eugene and Edith, however, that Eugene noted with a slight grin and made Rapunzel laugh a little; they had both inherited their father's nose.

Walking towards the house hand in hand, Rapunzel and Eugene kept their eyes on Edith, who finally noticed them and smiled kindly.

"Hello," she said, her voice deep and melodious. "How might I help you both?"

Eugene wasn't surprised that Edith didn't recognize him at first. It had been a long time since he last saw her—eighteen years!—and she had been four when he last saw her face to face. Still…it was a little insulting that she didn't recognize him.

"Actually…we were just looking around," Eugene explained slowly, his eyes still fixed on Edith's face. "Uh…is your…is your name Edith?"

This seemed to surprise Edith, who nodded slowly. "Yes, it is…how did you…?" Then recognition hit and she moved towards Eugene as though in a daze. "Eugene…?" she whispered.

"Hi…Edith," he murmured with a shaky grin.

His answer was a resounding slap that caused Rapunzel to squeak in surprise and Eugene was pretty sure that he was seeing stars now. Stumbling back in shock, he blinked rapidly in an attempt to regain his balance, all the while hearing Edith snapping at him.

"You disappear for over a _decade_—a _decade_, Eugene Fitzherbert—and all you can think to say to me is 'hello?' I should do worse than slap you! I should kill you! How dare you show up here after all these years and…" She paused as though to take a deep breath and then launched herself at Eugene, throwing her arms around his neck. "You great big idiot! Why didn't you come sooner?"

At first, Eugene didn't know how to react to this sudden shift in his sister's mood. He finally decided that it would be best to just hug her back, which he did, all the while aware that Rapunzel was staring at Edith in wonderment. When Edith finally released him, Eugene cleared his throat and pointed from Rapunzel to Edith, still trying to find the words.

"Uh…Edith…this is…this is Rapunzel. Rapunzel, this is my…sister, Edith."

The two women stared at each other for a moment before Edith arched a curious eyebrow. "The Princess?" she asked. Upon seeing Rapunzel's nod, Edith turned to Eugene with a knowing grin. "You've done well for yourself, Eugene."

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After that day, Rapunzel and Edith were all but inseparable, piecing together various stories about Eugene, both as a child and as the roguish thief turned hero. It was a little embarrassing for Eugene, but he was willing to put up with it to please the two most important women in his life. In fact, the friendship between the Princess and Eugene's sister became so close that Edith soon found herself living in a little cottage just outside of the city walls, with all the orphans brought to live with her, in a large barn that was converted to a dormitory by the royal architects, under Princess Rapunzel's instruction and guidance. Edith was so moved by this act of kindness, that she agreed to attend the next feast that was being thrown to honor Eugene for his twenty-seventh birthday.

Eugene had no idea how Rapunzel found out when his birthday was—he suspected Edith was behind it—but he didn't complain about the attention it got him. What he did complain about was that it ended with his sister—his _baby_ sister—being courted by a young Lord Jonathan. Eugene didn't know the Lord very well, but he did know that he sure didn't want his sister to marry the guy. For one thing, he was too…foppish for Eugene's tastes. That, and he was always trying to get on Eugene's good side after meeting Edith, which just rubbed Eugene wrong in all sorts of ways.

But, Eugene couldn't stop things from progressing, and three months before the wedding for him and Rapunzel was planned, Eugene gave his sister away in marriage to Lord Jonathan. Sure, he was happy that his sister was marrying so well, but he didn't like giving her up so soon after getting her back. In the end, he just learned to like his new brother-in-law and went back to planning for his own wedding.

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_I know what the real question is_: _did Rapunzel and I ever get married_?_ Well_,_ I'm glad to say that after years of asking and asking and _asking…_I finally said yes._

_Eugene_!

_All right_…_I asked her_._ The party lasted an entire week_,_ and honestly I don't remember most of it_.

_And we're living happily ever after_.

…_Yes_,_ we are_.

THE END

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Author's Note: Wow! It's finally finished! I have to admit, I'm a little sad that it is, now that I've come to it. Thanks to all of you who have read and enjoyed this story! My next one will be titled _The Tales of Eugene Fitzherbert_:_ Orphan Hero_, and will tell the story of how Eugene turned into the dashing Flynn Rider.

And if you want me to do a sequel to this one, please let me know in your reviews! Once more, thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoyed this last chapter!


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